STRANGE PATHS
by Rod G
Summary: NIGHTWALKER AU . How would things be like if Shido and Riho's lives were switched ? Shido is a detective , but a human one . As for Riho , well . . .
1. A Girl from the Dark

STRANGE PATHS 

by

ROD G.

SUMMARY : NIGHTWALKER AU . How would things be like if Shido and Riho ' s lives were switched ?

Shido is a detective , but a human one . As for Riho , well . . .

AUTHOR ' S NOTE / DISCLAIMER : I do NOT own NIGHTWALKER . Never have , never will . No profit

in this whatsoever . You can guess what this is all about from the summary above , so if any of the

people seem OOC to you , remember , this is an Alternate Universe .

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A GIRL FROM THE DARK

In an office located at a nondescript building in the business district of Tokyo , Shido Tatsuhiko , a

young man with long lavender hair in his late 20s , sat at his desk reading a newspaper . Something

in it caught his eye .

" Say , Yayoi , " he said to an attractive woman who was roughly the same age as him . " Did you

check this story out ? "

The dark haired woman , Yayoi Matsunaga , looked at him and asked , " What story ? " Shido then

replied , " According to this , some sort of accident took place last night at Tokyo Bay Bridge ." It

was then that a young girl with reddish brown hair emerged with cups on a tray , each cup filled

with coffee . As she came closer to the desk , she noticed the photo depicting a gruesome accident

scene in the newspaper .

" Ah , Riho , " Shido said as he took one of the cups , " thanks for the coffee , I really needed this . "

He then drank from his cup while Yayoi took the other . She then said , " Do you suppose this is the

sort of thing the NOS would be interested in ? "

" Excuse me , Yayoi , " the girl named Riho Yamazaki said , " may I have a word with you ? "

Then , as Yayoi got up from her chair , she said , " Excuse us , Shido . This is between the two of us .

Girl business , you know . Very private . "

Shido muttered an "Huh?" as the two females entered the nearby spare room and closed behind

them . He then began to wonder what was going on between them . Ever since they came to his life

several months ago , he found himself being intrigued by those two , especially the younger one ,

Riho . There was something about her , something he couldn ' t put into words , but . . .

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" A nightbreed caused that wreckage , " Riho said . " I ' m sure of it . "

"You can tell from a picture in a newspaper ? " Yayoi asked . " We really ought to investigate .

Perhaps Shido might help , which would make him a full member of the NOS . "

" Why would they want a bozo like him in their ranks ? " A tiny green-skinned humanoid female

with bat-like wings asked as she emerged from Riho ' s ponytail . " I swear , that guy is so clueless .

And he calls himself a detective . Hah ! "

" Oh , Guni , don 't be so hard on him , " Riho said . " I think he ' s nice . "

" Yeah , " Guni replied , " Nice and thick . If I didn't know better , Riho , I'd say you like that Shido

guy more than you let on , but then again , you don ' t want him to know that you ' re really a vampire . "

" Please , Guni , " Riho said , " I just don't want him to be reminded of the fact that it was a

nightbreed that killed his mother and little sister . Remember , I hunt nightbreeds . I ' ve been

doing it for so long after I became . . . this . "

"Well , " Yayoi said , " it ' ll be night in a couple of minutes . I suppose you ' ll be hunting ? "

Riho nodded . Then Yayoi said , " You ' ll need to keep your strength up . " Then she removed the

choker from her neck .

" Well , " said Riho , " I am a little famished . . . "

She then came closer to Yayoi .

On the other side of that particular door , Shido was scratching his head . ' What could be taking

them so long ? What are they doing in there ? ' He thought to himself .

He was definitely puzzled .

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Once night fell , Shido was already exiting the office when he saw Riho . He then said to her , " I

suppose you ' ll lock up when you leave ? " She then replied , " I intend to , dear sir . "

" Whoa , " Shido said , grinning goofily , " there ' s no need to be so formal . "

" You really think so , mr . Shido ? "

" Hey , never mind the mister , it ' s just Shido , okay ? "

" If you insist . . . Shido . "

" Well , I ' ll see you around . Yayoi ' s waiting for me at the car . " And with that , Shido walked off

while Rino watched . After he was out of sight , Guni poked her head out of Riho ' s ponytail to

exhale in frustration .

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Hours later , in a deserted alley not far from Tokyo Bay Bridge , a shadowy creature lurked .

Suddenly it spotted someone walking by who looked like a likely victim to it . Just as it pounced , the

" victim " , who turned out to be a certain vampire girl , suddenly dodged it . Her eyes began to glow .

" So you must be the nightbreed behind the attack on the bridge , " Riho exclaimed grimly before

biting into her finger , producing a sword from her own blood . The nightbreed growled before

fleeing . Guni showed up exclaiming , " Whoa ! It ' s gettin ' away ! "

The vampire girl and the winged imp were soon in hot pursuit of the creature which made its way to

the sewers . It took them hours , but they caught up with the creature as it left the sewers to enter

a nearby tunnel . No sooner were all three within the tunnel than a bright light was seen at the edge .

" The sun ! " Riho exclaimed . " It ' s rising ! " She had no alternative but to keep to the shadows .

From her vantage point , she noticed the shadowy monster was taking possession of a nearby

pigeon . She then slumped down to the ground .

" Yo , Riho , " Guni said , " what are you gonna do now ? " Riho then replied , " For now , all I can

do is rest and wait until it ' s cloudy enough for me to leave . Otherwise , I ' d be waiting until

nightfall . " She then closed her eyes and drifted off , with Guni watching her .

After a while , Riho was hearing a voice saying , " Little one , I am coming . " She then rose up

with a startled look on her face .

" C-Cain ? " She gasped .

" Cain ? He ' s bad news , right ? " Guni asked .

" Tell me about it , Guni . "

Somewhere , where no sunlight penetrated , a tall , overly acttractive man in an extremely fancy garb

was watching .


	2. A Curious Thing

Before starting this chapter , I ' d like to thank the following for their wonderful reviews :

yuki san 1 , turtlerad17 , Lady - Silverkiss and Evil Overlady . They are all appreciated .

A CURIOUS THING

Shido and Yayoi were at a highway one particularly cloudy day . Another incident similar to what

happened at Tokyo Bay Bridge had occured at the previous night . As soon as they finished

discussing the situation of the past few nights to a law enforcement agent ( the disscussion itself

was quite heated ) , Yayoi climbed into the car .

" Are you coming ? " She asked Shido .

"Nah , " he replied . " I ' ll hang around for awhile and see if I can find out anything more . I ' ll be

at the office later . "

Several minutes after Yayoi drove off , Shido found himself unable to find any significant clues . The

crowd did not help matters any . Eventually Shido wound up buying himself some noodles from a

vendor who sold them in plastic bowls . Shido noticed that the vendor also had some garlic powder

at the stand . Shido liked his noodles with garlic . After paying for his noodles and pouring a generous

portion of garlic powder on them , Shido was noticing someone not far away .

" Riho ? " He asked himself .

She came to this particular site as soon as the clouds covered the sun . She realized that the Breed

that she was pursuing had struck . The victims ' mangled bodies were already carted away to the

morgue . She did not look happy .

" Riho ? " Shido asked as he tapped her shoulder . " What brings you here ? " A startled Riho then

replied , " Oh ! You surprised me . " Then , composing herself , she then said , " I , er , I was on my

way to the office when I noticed this . Talk about awful ! "

" Oh . Hey , would you mind sharing these noodles with me ? I love to pour garlic powder on ' em ! "

Riho practically sweated as she said nervously , " N-no , thank you . "

" You don ' t like garlic ? " Shido asked . After she shook her head , he just shrugged and said , " Oh ,

well , " and proceeded to dig in with his chopsticks and eat .

" You 're a real prize , buster ! You know that ? Stuffin ' your face , havin ' garlic breath . . . " Guni

muttered from Riho ' s ponytail . She then started to hush the little imp . " Did you say something ? "

Shido asked . Riho giggled nervously as she said , " N-no , nothing . " He then said , " Hm . Must be

hearing things . " After a minute or two , he then said , " Say , how about if I buy you some hot

cocoa on the way to the office , huh ? Would that be okay with you ? "

" I ' d like that , " Riho replied with a slight smile on her face . Unknown to Shido , Guni poked her

head from Riho ' s ponytail and muttered under her breath , " Oh , brother . "

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" Thanks for the cocoa , " Riho said when she and Shido stood in front of the office ' s door .

" Hey , " said Shido , " think nothing of it . " Suddenly Yayoi showed up . " Ah , Shido , " she said ,

" Would you mind coming with me ? "

" What for ? " Shido asked , to which she replied , " I ' ll explain on the way . C ' mon ! " Then she

dragged Shido by the arm while Riho entered the office holding the small styrofoam cup filled with

steaming hot liquid . Guni popped out .

" Why did you accept this ? " Guni asked . " You don ' t even drink cocoa ! "

" It ' s the thought that counts , " Riho replied .

" If he had any thought in his head , " Guni said , " he would have gone to the nearest blood bank

and gotten you a bottle of O Negative . "

Riho decided to ignore that . Instead she took an empty flower pot , turned upside down and put

it over the cup which she set on a nearby shelf . A few minutes later , Shido and Yayoi entered .

" I can ' t believe you dragged me out just for some paperwork . We could have done that in the

office , " Shido said , to which Yayoi replied , " Don ' t worry about it , Shido . "

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As soon as the sun set , Yayoi and Riho were preparing to leave .

" Well , " Shido said as he stood at the building ' s door , " I ' ll be working on a few things here

until you two get back . "

" That ' ll be in a couple of hours , " Yayoi said as she and Riho entered the car . Guni poked her

head from Riho ' s ponytail and muttered , " I ' ll just bet he ' ll be workin ' , all right . "

" Not another word , Guni , " Riho said , hushing the little imp hiding in her hair . They soon drove

off . An hour or so later , Shido was at his desk , reading the reports consisting of newspaper

clippings regarding the incident at Tokyo Bay Bridge . As he held a small glass of club soda in his

hand , he thought to himself , ' I could use Riho ' s coffee right about now . ' It was then that he

noticed an upside down flower pot on a shelf . No sooner did he pick it up than he noticed something

. . . odd .

' Wait a minute ! ' Shido thought to himself as he picked up the now cold cup . ' That 's the cocoa I

bought for Riho ! Why didn ' t she drink it ? Hhhmmm . . . there ' s something unusual about that

girl , but whatever it is will have to wait . This case requires my attention . '

Back at his desk , Shido pored over the reports and soon came to a conclusion . ' Well , ' he

thought , ' since this whole thing started at Tokyo Bay Bridge , that ' s where I should start looking .

Hopefully I ' ll find something that the police overlooked . Of course , since Yayoi took the car with

her , I ' m gonna have to hail a cab . '

After writing down a note and taking his gun which he put in its holster , Shido went outside and

managed to get a taxi . Soon the cab was on its way to the bridge .

" So , mister , " the cab driver said , "what business do you have on that bridge ? "

" Let ' s just say I ' m investigating something there , " Shido repied , to which the cabbie answered

" Whatever you say . "

There were few cars on the bridge that night , including the cab that Shido was on . It was then

that something emerged .

Something ebony .

Something swift .

Something that would wind up crashing with the cab . The driver gaped in terror , for he knew that

he would wind up getting killed . As for Shido , as he stared in shock , he exclaimed , " WHAT THE

HELL . . . ? "


	3. Showdown at the Bridge

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I ' d like to thank turtlerad17 for another nice review.  
  
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SHOWDOWN AT THE BRIDGE  
  
" Shido ! " Yayoi called out when she and Riho entered the darkened office . " Where are you ? " As   
  
soon as Riho turned on the lights , she noticed a piece of paper on the desk . So did Yayoi , since  
  
she went to pick it up and began to read what was written on it .  
  
" Yayoi , I decided to go to Tokyo Bay Bridge in order to find something that the police may have   
  
overlooked . I know it ' s a long shot , but it ' s all we ' ve got . I ' ll be waiting for you there .   
  
Shido .  
  
P . S . Tell Riho to make some coffee . I ' m gonna need it . "  
  
" I don ' t believe that guy ! " Guni said as she emerged from Riho ' s ponytail . " Does he really   
  
think that all Riho ' s good for is making coffee ? "  
  
" Never mind that ! " Riho interrupted . " That nightbreed is out there . Who knows what could   
  
happen ? "  
  
" Leave it to that bum to get in way over his head . I suppose we ' re going out to save his keister ,  
  
huh ? "  
  
" You suppose right , " Riho said .  
  
" I ' m with you , " Yayoi said . Soon enough the two females and the imp were already driving to   
  
Tokyo Bay Bridge where a barricade was being put up .  
  
" What ' s going on there ? " Yayoi asked an officer on the scene . " There 's been some sort of   
  
accident over there , we 're not sure , " the officer replied . Then Yayoi took out her ID card and  
  
said , " My partner and I will be investigating what happened . " In less time than it took to tell , they  
  
got through . As they went further , they saw scores of wrecked cars . After parking , they looked   
  
around , Yayoi taking out her gun . Guni , for her part , hovered around .  
  
" Oh my god , " Riho said as she spotted something by a wrecked taxicab . " Yayoi , look what I  
  
found . " It was a gun .  
  
" It ' s Shido ' s gun , all right , " Yayoi said . Then Riho said , " But where is he ? " Suddenly Yayoi  
  
found herself snared , her arms pinned ,causing her to drop her gun .   
  
" Yayoi ! " Riho yelled out before the same kind of stuff that wrapped itself around Yayoi ' s body   
  
now snared Riho ' s neck . The stuff was hair . Lavender hair . Hair from . . .  
  
" Shido ! " Yayoi cried out .  
  
But there was something different about Shido . He looked emaciated and his forehead had been   
  
bleeding . However he was flashing very sharp teeth in a demonic grin and his sunken eyes were   
  
red with dilated white pupils . His jacket had been torn and he was laughing in a harsh raspy voice .  
  
" Hahahahahahahahah ! This is a strong body indeed ! Since this body hardly suffered any injuries ,  
  
unlike those others , it was perfect for my purposes ! "  
  
" It ' s . . . the nightbreed ! " A startled Riho choked as she grabbed the hairy tendril wrapped   
  
around her neck . " It ' s possessed Shido ! "  
  
" I recognize you . You're the vampire girl from the other night ! " The ' breed within Shido   
  
exclaimed . Riho then spat out , " Release . . . that man ! His . . . body . . . doesn ' t belong . . . to  
  
. . . you ! "  
  
" I ' ll never release him ! " The breed said . " You can do nothing to stop me for I have you in my   
  
power ! " Suddenly , Riho vanished , the tresses holding her neck now held empty air , leaving the   
  
breed shocked . "Where did she go ? " It snarled angrily . All of a sudden , the breed-possessed   
  
Shido felt sharp fangs where his neck met his shoulder . He then let out an earsplitting , inhuman  
  
roar of mingled pain and rage as the vampire girl leapt up to his back and sucked out the nightbreed   
  
that had possessed him . Once she spat out the ebon appartion , she noticed that Shido , who was   
  
barely conscious , had regained his human features . Yayoi , having been released when that 'breed   
  
had been sucked out , asked , " Is he . . . is he all right , Riho ?"  
  
" I hope so , Yayoi , " Riho replied , " I hope so . " Then Guni showed up , saying , " I hate to  
  
interrupt this tender moment , girls , but we still got a loose breed ! "  
  
" Not for long , " said Riho as she bit into her finger to produce a blood blade . She then saw the   
  
breed trying desperately to find an uninjured body , but to no avail .  
  
" You can't possess any of these mangled bodies , " she said . " There 's nowhere for you to run . "  
  
She finally managed to stab the breed . Then , after using some her blood to dissolve the creature ,  
  
Riho slumped down and , exhaling , she said , " Y . . . Yayoi . . . ? " At that moment Shido managed  
  
to regain full consciousness .  
  
' Uuuhhhh . . . what happened ? ' He thought as he got up . ' The . . . the last thing I remember   
  
was . . . some kind of . . . '   
  
It was then that Shido noticed the wrecked cars . ' What happened here ? ' He then stood up ,  
  
slowly and groggily , forced to lean to a car . Then he saw two familiar figures . ' There ' s Yayoi . . .  
  
and is that Riho with her ? ' He coughed quietly before saying , " Say , what ' s going on here ? I  
  
think somebody owes me an expla . . . na . . . tion ? "  
  
He was flabbergasted at the sight of Riho biting into Yayoi ' s neck and he stood staring for some   
  
time . Then Riho noticed him with a sorry look on her face as a bit of Yayoi ' s blood trickled down  
  
from the corner of her mouth .  
  
" I . . . " Riho said timidly , " I suppose I couldn ' t have hidden the truth from you for long . You   
  
would have figured it out sooner or later . Yes , Shido Tatsuhiko , I am a vampire . "  
  
It took a minute or so for a startled Shido to speak . " You ' re a . . . you ' re a . . . vampire ? "  
  
" That 's right , buddy ! " Guni said as she flew up to Shido 's face . " That means she drinks blood !  
  
Not cocoa ! Blood ! " Shido pointed at the little imp . " What is . . . this ? "  
  
" The name ' s Guni . Nice to meetcha ! Y ' know , for a clueless bozo claiming to be a detective ,  
  
you ' re not half bad , I guess ."  
  
" Please understand , " Riho continued , " my purpose in this existence is hunt and destroy demonic  
  
creatures called Nightbreed . Beings who seek to be in the light by possessing human bodies . " She  
  
then looked downcast as she said , " It was a nightbreed that killed your mother and little sister . "  
  
' Mom . . . ' A stunned Shido thought . ' Sis . . . a nightbreed . . . killed them ? '   
  
" I wouldn ' t blame you if you never wanted to see me again . " Riho said sadly as Yayoi supported   
  
her . " I ' m sorry . I ' ll be leaving now . Goodbye . " With that , the two females left and Guni   
  
followed them . Shido was by himself , a mixture of shock and puzzlement was on his face .   
  
Minutes later , an ambulance arrived followed by newsvans . Shido sat down in the ambulance   
  
while a paramedic bandaged his head . He then said , " You know , apart from a couple of   
  
bruises , you 're otherwise unhurt , mister . You must be a very lucky man . " Shido exhaled a  
  
little before saying , " Yeah . . . lucky . "   
  
He then stared ahead , lost in thought .  
  
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At Yayoi ' s apartment , Riho greeted her when she entered .   
  
" How did things go , Yayoi ? "  
  
" Where do I start ? To tell you the truth , " Yayoi replied , " The NOS was satisfied with the report .  
  
Just the same , they figure Shido ' s status in the NOS would remain part-time for the time being . "  
  
" You miss him , don ' t you ? " Guni asked Riho . She then replied , " Is it that obvious ? "  
  
Just then , a knock was heard . Yayoi went to open the door .  
  
" Shido ? " Yayoi asked . " What are you doing here ? "  
  
" So this is your apartment , Yayoi ? Pretty nice . " Shido said , then , when he saw Riho , he said ,  
  
"Ah , Riho , I ' ve wanted to talk to you . You see , I never got to thank you for saving my neck .  
  
Heh , now that ' s funny . A vampire saving my neck , but I digress . I realize that if what happened  
  
that night is any indication , I ' ll probably be getting some pretty hairy cases from this point forward ,  
  
so it probably wouldn ' t hurt to have some backup . Obivously , there ' s more to you than anyone  
  
would guess . What I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is , would you mind being my partner ?  
  
You ' ve got some pretty good skills , beyond making a darn fine cup of coffee . So , how about it ? "  
  
Riho thought for a while before saying " Well , if you want me , how can I refuse ? "  
  
" Great ! " Shido said . " One question . Where 's the nearest blood bank ? I gotta get you something  
  
to drink . "  
  
" Oh , geez , " Guni said , " Oh well , he 's not totally hopeless . "  
  
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Elsewhere , a certain fancily garbed man stood in the darkness .  
  
' The Golden Dawn is at hand , ' he thought . 


	4. The Mystery with the Actress

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I ' d like to thank turtlerad17 , Lady Silverkiss and Aura Jade for your fine , fine reviews .  
  
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THE MYSTERY WITH THE ACTRESS  
  
Shdo was trying to get used to a coffin in a spare room in his office .  
  
He , Riho and Yayoi had agreed that Riho should have a place to rest if she was unable for any   
  
reason to reach Yayoi ' s apartment and , as it turned out , Shido ' s office was as good a place as   
  
any . So she had requested a quite large coffin which would serve as her bed . Yayoi arranged for   
  
this , much to Shido ' s puzzlement . He certainly had a lot to get used to with a vampire girl as his   
  
partner . Soon he was in front of the tv watching a news broadcast .   
  
" Hey , Shido , " Yayoi said as she and Riho arrived.  
  
" What are you watching ? " Riho asked .  
  
" Well , " said Shido , " according to the news , actress Yukie Tsukimura had just commited suicide . "  
  
" A pity . I happened to admire her performances , " Riho said .  
  
" Really ? " Asked Yayoi . " Who 's that ? "  
  
The three saw a young woman named Yoko Asahina as she talked about the late Yukie Tsukimura .  
  
" Something about her , " Riho said , " just doesn ' t feel right to me . Call it a hunch ."  
  
" You think ? " Shido asked . " I suppose one of those nightbreed things had something to do with  
  
ms . Tsukimura ' s death ? "  
  
" There ' s a definite possibility . After all , it ' s unlikely for a nightbreed to commit suicide ."  
  
" Well , " Shido said , " maybe I should check it out . You ladies can come along if you want to . "  
  
" Swell , " Guni said as she flew out of Riho ' s ponytail . " Don't us any favors , pal . "  
  
" Just what ' s that supposed to mean ? " Shido asked , to which Guni replied , " Hey , if you ' ve   
  
gotta ask , maybe you ' re not much of a detective after all , buster . "   
  
Shido asked again , " Did you say something ? "  
  
Guni then said , " Nothing a butthead like you would want to hear . Don't forget , if it wasn ' t for Riho  
  
here , you ' d have been nightbreed fodder by now . "  
  
" That ' s all I need , " Shido said , " an imp with a smart mouth . "  
  
Guni answered by sticking out her tongue and pulling down her lower eyelid . Riho and Yayoi decided  
  
to stay out of this paricular argument .  
  
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Yoko Asahina was by herself in her dressing room .  
  
Not long ago , she had witnessed Yukie Tsukimura as she devoured her manager and realized   
  
something within Yukie was responsible . Yoko then offered herself to house the being within Yukie .   
  
Soon Yoko herself would become a great star of the stage . As she contemplated these thoughts ,  
  
she heard a knock on her door . " It ' s open , " she exclaimed , then a lavender haired man and   
  
his two female companions entered .  
  
" Can I help you with anything ? " Yoko asked .  
  
" My name is Shido Tasuhiko . I ' m a detective . My partners and I are here to investigate Ms.  
  
Tsukimura ' s death . " Meanwhile , Yayoi noticed that Riho was looking at Yoko , not without   
  
interest .   
  
" Look , mister , " an exasperated Yoko said , " I already told the police all that I know about that .  
  
I ' m a busy woman these days so I suggest that you leave me alone . "  
  
Afterwards , as the threesome rode back to the office , Shido said , " Well , that was fruitless ."  
  
" I wonder . . . " Riho replied , Then Yayoi asked , " What do you mean ? "  
  
" What I mean is , she may know more than she ' s telling . "  
  
"If you ' re right , " Shido said , " she definitely bears watching . "  
  
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That night , Yoko ventured out into an alley behind a restaurant where she and her manager were .  
  
As he ate steak , she suddenly felt ill , so she went outside .  
  
It was there that she noticed a dog .  
  
The next day , police were watching the dog ' s remains . This was the fifth dog found thus . Shido was   
  
there as well and he noticed something by the carcass . A strand of silvery hair . Later , at the office ,   
  
he showed his find to Yayoi and Riho . Guni , for her part , was snoring .  
  
" Hair ? " Yayoi asked .  
  
" That ' s right , " Shido replied . " I admit it ' s not much of a clue , but , hey , we ' ve all gotta  
  
start somewhere . "  
  
" One thing 's for sure , Shido , " Riho said , " Ms . Asahina is a very likely suspect , especially if   
  
there 's a nightbreed within her . " Then Shido said , " You may have a point there , Riho . After all ,  
  
when it comes to nightbreeds , you 're the expert . " He knew this girl had dealt with these creatures   
  
long before their paths crossed . He realized that she was far older than she seemed .  
  
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Yoko had just finished washing the dog ' s blood off herself . She began to realize that the creature  
  
which had been within Yukie Tsukimura and now within Yoko craved flesh . It made her slaughter  
  
and consume those dogs . Still she resolved to be in control . It was then that she heard a knock at   
  
her door .  
  
" You again ? " She said as Shido and Riho entered . " Where ' s your other partner ? "  
  
" She ' s busy , " Shido said , " but that 's not important now . "  
  
" What is it that you two want with me ? " Yoko asked .  
  
" I believe Miss Yamazaki here may offer a few words , " replied Shido .  
  
" Isn 't she a bit young for this line of work ? " Yoko asked . Then Riho answered , " Believe it or   
  
not , I ' m much older by far than I look , but that doesn ' t matter . What ' s important is for you   
  
to realize one thing . "  
  
" And what , pray tell , " Yoko said , " Am I supposed to realize ? "  
  
" There are creatures beyond human understanding . You see , on one side is light , on the other ,  
  
darkness . The creatures I speak of dwell in the dark , seeking a place in the light , but in order to   
  
do so , they prey on humans . These creatures are called nightbreed , and in case you 're wondering  
  
what any of this has to do with you , Ms . Asahina , I believe a nightbreed could have been   
  
responsible for what happened to Ms . Tsukimura . "  
  
" You know what , young lady ? " Yoko replied . " I don't give a damn what you believe . "   
  
Then Shido said , " I suggest you pay attention , ma ' am . She knows what she ' s talking about . "   
  
An exasperated Yoko then said , " I suggest that the two of you leave before I call the police . "  
  
That seemed to settle that . As the detective and his vampiric partner left , she turned and said to  
  
Yoko , " I must warn you , If I happen to find out that a human has been harmed because of this  
  
breed , I ' d be forced to deal with this quite harshly indeed . "  
  
As the two left , Yoko stood glaring at them .  
  
' Who do those two think they are ? The very idea ! ' She thought . 


	5. An Actress ' Requiem

===============================================================  
  
Thank you once again for reviewing , turtlerad17 , Lady Silverkiss and Aura Jade . I also want to   
  
thank you , JupiterLover . Keep those reviews coming , folks !  
  
===============================================================  
  
AN ACTRESS ' REQUIEM   
  
At her dressing room , Yoko Asahina was brushing her hair . Then her manager showed up joined by   
  
a young girl with black hair .  
  
" Yoko ? Meet your understudy . "  
  
" Understudy ? " Yoko asked .  
  
" You see , Yoko , " her manager replied , "I think you ' ve been working quite hard , so I figure  
  
you needed an understudy . "  
  
" I ' m so excited to be working with you , Ms . Asahina . "  
  
" I ' ll just bet , " Yoko said as she put her brush down on her desk . Unknown to anyone , a couple   
  
of hairs on that brush began to twitch .  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Yoko ' s understudy was found dead with strands of silvery hair wrapped around her neck . Her body  
  
was lying in the middle of the warehouse district . Shido was on the scene , joined by Riho and   
  
Yayoi . Guni was there too , making sure the police officers there didn ' t see her .  
  
" It ' s the same kind of hair found on one of the dogs , all right , " Shido said , " that nightbreed ' s  
  
one damn piece of work ."  
  
" This girl was hired to be Ms . Asahina ' s understudy , " said Yayoi . " You don ' t suppose . . . "  
  
" Asahina is the likeliest suspect , " Shido said , " her and the breed within her , I ' d say . "  
  
Yayoi then noticed Riho had a stern , grim look on her face . She then asked , " Riho ? "  
  
" I warned Asahina , " she said in a tone of supressed anger . " I warned her what would happen if   
  
the ' breed within her started killing people . She didn ' t listen and this is the result . And for what ?   
  
All so she could be a great star of the stage . "   
  
Suddenly , the shadows beneath the threesome burst into life , becoming an amorphous mass bent  
  
on killing . Then Shido called out to the policemen , " Get out of there ! Run ! "  
  
As soon as the officers were out of sight , Shido and Yayoi whipped out their guns , whle Riho , eyes   
  
glowing golden , bit her finger to produce a blood blade . As for Guni , she flew around , exclaiming ,   
  
" Whoa ! This is getting out of hand ! "  
  
The four of them were dodging the ebon spikes left and right . While Shido and Yayoi were firing  
  
their weapons , Riho hacked away with her blade and Guni was flinging lightning bolts . It was then   
  
that Riho saw a black spike behind Yayoi as it prepared to lunge at her . She then sped to push  
  
Yayoi out of the way . Suddenly , the spike hit one of Riho 's shoulders .  
  
" Oh my god ! Riho ! " Yayoi screamed in alarm as more of these spikes speared Riho . She   
  
managed to stab away at the shadowy mass , driving it off . Shido , Yayoi and Guni saw as Riho fell  
  
to the ground , riddled with wounds that would have killed an ordinary human being . As it was , she  
  
was barely alive .   
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Several minutes later , back at Shido 's office , he and Yayoi had managed to bandage Riho ' s   
  
wounds .  
  
" I suppose you're gonna try to give her some blood to drink , huh ? " Shido asked Yayoi . As in   
  
answer , she took a sharp knife and slitted the palm of her hand . Then she proceeded to pour her   
  
blood at Riho ' s open mouth .  
  
"Shido , you ' re going to have to do the same thing I did if you want Riho to recover , " Yayoi said  
  
as she bandaged her hand . After Yayoi took out her gun , Shido asked , " Where do you think   
  
you're going ? " Yayoi then replied , " I ' m going after Asahina . "  
  
" Hold it , Yayoi ! " Shido said , " You ' re gonna need back up ! "  
  
" Shido , while I appreciate the notion ," Yayoi replied , " the one who needs you right now is Riho .  
  
Do you understand ? "  
  
After a minute or so , Shido exhaled and said , " You ' re right . "  
  
No sooner had Yayoi left , than Shido took the knife , washed it and then used it to slit his hand .  
  
As he did so , a tear welled up in one of his eyes as he winced .  
  
" So , you ' re giving her your blood , Shido ? " Guni asked .  
  
" What else can I do , Guni ? " Shido said , " I owe that girl a lot and I ' ll be damned if I let her   
  
perish . Now if you ' ll excuse me . . . "   
  
Then , as Yayoi did before him , Shido poured the blood from his hand to Riho ' s mouth ,   
  
murmuring under his breath , " C ' mon , you ' ve got to recover ! You ' ve just got to ! "  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Yayoi was at the theater where Yoko was performing in a play . All of a sudden Yoko began to   
  
convulse . The nightbreed within her was trying to get out . Yayoi , gun in hand , called out ,  
  
" Hold it right there ! "  
  
But it was too late . The ' breed had taken over Yoko completely . Suddenly it fled to the rooftop ,   
  
with Yayoi in hot pursuit . By the time she caught up with the whitish apparition on the theater ' s   
  
rooftop , there was a storm brewing in the sky . Before Yayoi could aim her weapon at the   
  
' breed , it snared her with its hair .  
  
" No one can stop me ! " The ' breed said . " Least of all a mere human like you ! "  
  
" You were the one who possessed Yukie Tsukimura , didn ' t you ? " Yayoi exclaimed , " Then  
  
Yoko offered herself as your new host and you left Yukie , didn ' t you ? "  
  
" All so true , " said the ' breed , " now you shall take that knowledge with you to oblivion ! "  
  
But before the creature could do Yayoi any harm , it was stabbed by a long blood red shaft ,   
  
causing it to release Yayoi . She then turned to see who threw it .  
  
" Riho ! Shido ! "Yayoi called out . " You made it ! "  
  
She saw Shido held Riho with one hand while a gun was in his other hand . Suddenly lightning from  
  
the stormy night sky came down and hit the blood sword , striking down the nightbreed . Once   
  
the smoke cleared , all that remained was the body of Yoko Asahina . Yayoi went to the pair .  
  
" Yayoi , are . . . are you all right ? " Riho asked .  
  
" You know , " Yayoi replied , " I should be asking that of you . "  
  
" I ' ll recover , " Riho said , " thanks to you and Shido . You know , I may feel sorry for Asahina  
  
but I feel more sorry for the victims of the 'breed that possessed her . "  
  
" Well , Riho , " said Yayoi , " I should be the one thanking you for stopping that ' breed . "  
  
" Well , I ' d say that definitely closes this case , " Shido said . " Let ' s go . "  
  
He soon began to wonder what Riho was before she became a vampire , for he knew that she   
  
used to be human once .  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Elsewhere , a certain individual emerged .  
  
' Soon , my little one , ' he thought to himself , ' we will be together again . '  
  
His name was Cain .  
  
He was a vampire . 


	6. In Pursuit of a Runner

===============================================================  
  
Once again , I offer thanks to Lady-Silverkiss , turtlerad17 , Aura Jade and   
  
JupiterDemonLoverGoddess for their reviews . You guys certainly have been reading this   
  
little fic of mine .  
  
================================================================  
  
IN PURSUIT OF A RUNNER  
  
Shido had invited Riho to go to a movie with him . Once there , he noticed that she was staring  
  
wistfully at the sunset on the screen , then he wondered what went through her mind .  
  
' Has it been so long since the last time I saw a real sunset ? ' She thought to herself . She wound  
  
up reminisicing of the first time she met the one who made her what she was now .  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
She saw him bite a woman ' s neck one night . At least , that was the way she remembered it . The  
  
years prior to that were but a blur to her.She stood transfixed at this scene and she realized that this   
  
was a vampire who was dressed in fancy clothes .  
  
It was then that he saw her .  
  
The vampire managed to corner her at a chapel . "W - what do you want from me ? " She asked of   
  
the vampire .  
  
" Listen to me , my dear , " the vampire spoke in a seductive tone . " There is no such thing as an  
  
afterlife . There is only a dark eternity . Where there is light , there is darkness . "  
  
After a pause he then said , " I find you particularly , delectably beautiful . "   
  
She did not like the way he told her that .  
  
" You shall be my bride , " the vampire resumed , " for I will not allow you to lose your beauty to the   
  
ravages of time . We will share this dark eternity together . "  
  
" L - leave . . . " she said , " leave me . . . alone . . . "  
  
But it was too late . The vampire called Cain had her in his power .  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Shido then tapped on her shoulder and whispered , " Are you okay , Riho ? "  
  
She nodded.   
  
Afterwards , the two had left the movie . Then something caught Riho ' s eye .  
  
" My , " she said . " These trinkets are pretty . " Shido saw that she was referring to knicknacks  
  
on a cloth on the ground . Shido noticed a delight on her face that he hadn ' t noticed before .  
  
' That girl can be quite a paradox , ' he thought to himself . ' She ' s older than she looks and hunts  
  
down those nightbreeds like nobody ' s business . But she ' s still a young girl at heart . '  
  
It was then that Shido notced something .  
  
" Back ! Back , I say ! " Shido was holding a cross in his hands . Riho knew that this was not a real  
  
crucifix for it had no effect on her . She then realized that Shido was goofing around , so she decided  
  
to play along with him .  
  
" Ahh ! " She exclaimed in mock fear . " Mercy, I beg you ! " The two then started chuckling .  
  
" Say , Riho , " Shido said , " if you like , I can buy you any of these for your birthday . By the way ,  
  
when is your birthday ? " Suddenly the smile had left Riho ' s face . Shido then said , " Oh , man ,  
  
don't tell me I put my foot in my mouth that time ? "  
  
" No , it ' s not you , " she replied . " You see , I don't remember when I was born . " ' In fact , ' she  
  
thought , ' the most I can recall is the night Cain turned me into a vampire . '  
  
Shido was puzzled . Suddenly , there was a commotion not far from where they were . "What ' s  
  
going on ? " He asked . He and Riho then saw two men with guns pursuing a third who , apparently ,  
  
had been in a hospital bed . They saw that he had turned around and spat some sort of green fluid  
  
at the men , which turned out to be some sort of acid .  
  
" That man , " Riho exclaimed . " He's a nightbreed ! "  
  
As the fugitive resumed running , the private eye and the vampire girl went after him , but they   
  
wound up losing track of him at a subway station . As Riho looked around , she said , " We ' ll have   
  
to split up . I ' ll go in this direction . "  
  
" And I ' ll head that way , " Shido replied . " You be careful now , okay ? "   
  
She nodded and soon the two went on opposite directions seeking the same man . It was then that  
  
Riho recognized someone standing not far from where she was . Someone she neither expected nor   
  
desired to see .   
  
" Cain ? " She said in a startled tone .  
  
Suddenly she heard Cain ' s voice saying , " It has been a long time , my little one . " Then as he   
  
started to walk away , he said , " We shall meet again . "  
  
A few minutes later , Shido caught up to Riho and asked , " Did you find that guy ? " She then shook  
  
her head . After exhaling , he then said , " Me neither . Might as well get back to the office . "  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Back at the office , they told Yayoi what had happened . She then said , " Looks to me like quite a  
  
case . If only we knew more about that guy that the ' breed possessed . "  
  
Meanwhile , Guni was eyeing Shido suspiciously . He asked , " Why are you looking at me like that ,  
  
huh ? "  
  
" Okay , Shido , " Guni said , " what did you do to her ? "  
  
" I didn ' t do anything , I swear ! " Shido spoke in defense .  
  
" Why do I find that hard to believe , you pervert ? "  
  
" Hey , who are you calling a pervert ? "  
  
" He didn ' t do anything to me , Guni , " Riho said . " There ' s no need to . . . "  
  
Suddenly there was a knock at the door . Riho took Guni with her while Shido and Yayoi composed   
  
themselves . A young woman entered .  
  
" May I help you with anything ? " He asked . Then the woman replied , " Is this the Tatsuhiko   
  
detective agency ? " Shido told her that it was.  
  
" My name is Megumi Otsuka . I want you to find someone for me . My fiance , Taki Ryuichi . "   
  
Megumi handed Shido a picture just as Riho walked by . The two recognized the man in it .  
  
" Wait a minute ! " Shido exclaimed . " That ' s the guy . . . "  
  
" . . . We were chasing . " Riho finished for him . Then Yayoi said , " I was meaning to tell you two  
  
about this . I recieved reports about this Ryuichi guy . He was an agent who was shot in the head .  
  
and ended up comatose . "  
  
" I ' ll wager a nightbreed took him over when he was in his bed at the hospital , " Riho replied .  
  
" Please , " Megumi said , " help me find him . "  
  
After a minute or two , Shido then said , " Okay . We ' ll do what we can . " 


	7. An Unwelcome Visitor from the Past

As usual , I want to thank those who reviewed , in particular :

Lady - Silverkiss , turtlerad17 and JupiterLover.

AN UNWELCOME VISITOR FROM THE PAST

Four people went down a dark tunnel . Shido and Yayoi , each wielding a gun , were ahead while

Riho was by Megumi ' s side . Yayoi took out a flashlight and shined upon the gloom . Guni

had caught up with them . Megumi found herself intrigued by these people . She was rather surprised

at Riho , who seemed to her rather composed beyond her years .

" Nothing so far , " Yayoi said . " I ' ll tell you one thing . This Taki had better be here or else

I ' ll be extremely upset for wasting my time . "

" You 're upset ? " Guni asked . " What about me ? I mean , I ' m not too keen on cramped tunnels if

you catch my drift . "

Then Shido said , " Quiet , everybody . I think I heard something . "

It was then that a low growling was heard . What leapt ahead of them could barely be described as

human .

" Taki ? " A concerned Megumi asked . " Is that you ? "

" Lady , " Shido said , " I don't think that 's your boyfriend anymore . "

" True , " Riho replied , " a nightbreed has all but taken him over . " As Riho bit her finger to

generate a blood sword , Megumi then said , " I can't believe that ! I know my Taki is in there ! "

While Riho faced down the creature , Megumi suddenly shoved Yayoi away , then she snatched

Shido ' s gun .

" Hey ! " An astonished Shido yelled out before Megumi fired the gun . The silver - jacketed bullet

hit Riho in the shoulder .

" Don't move , any of you ! " Megumi exclaimed . " Taki ! It 's me , Megumi ! "

At the sound of Megumi ' s voice , the ' breed retreated within Taki , who then regained his human

features . " Me . . . Megu . . . Me . . . gumi ? " He asked .

Megumi went to support him and they both walked away into the shadows . Shido went to where

Riho was .

" Sheesh , " Guni said as Riho clutched her bleeding shoulder, " that ' s a nasty wound . " Then Shido

asked , " Are you okay , Riho ? "

" I ' ll recover , " she replied. " What about Yayoi ? "

" I ' m all right , " answered Yayoi .

" Well , in any case , " Shido said , " we lost track of those two . They could be anywhere by now ."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a while for the bullet hole in Riho ' s shoulder to heal . Fortunately for her , this was not

like the wounds inflicted on her by that shadow mass , which required quantities of blood for

her to heal,blood which first Yayoi and then Shido provided . Now Riho was on the rooftop after

nightfall pondering what to do next while Shido and Yayoi were in the office .

" Well , my little one , " a familiar voice was heard , " we have a lot to talk about . "

Riho turned and was surprised to see Cain standing not far away .

" What do you want from me , Cain ? " She asked .

" For one thing , my dear Riho , you should tell your friend , the private investigator , to stay out of

this case . "

It was then that Yayoi showed up . " What the ? " She called out as she took out her gun .

" Hold it , Yayoi , " Riho said . Then Cain said , " A wise move on your part , my dear . Anyway , I

came to tell you that the Golden Dawn is at hand soon and I want you by my side to witness this ."

" Do you think I ' m interested in this Golden Dawn of yours ? " Riho asked .

Then Cain replied , " You should be , my dear girl . " After that , he vanished into the night sky .

Yayoi went to Riho and asked , " That was Cain , right ? "

" Yes , Yayoi , " she replied , " the one who turned me into what I am now . The one who holds my

memories of my past life . "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While all this was going on , Shido was at his desk , where Guni sat .

" Guni , you ' ve known Riho for a long time , haven ' t you ? " Shido asked , to which Guni replied ,

" I certainly have . I must say , Shido , I may have given you a hard time before , but you ' re

definitely one of the good ones . So , what ' s on your mind ? "

" See , " Shido started , " there's so much I don 't know about her . So much . . . " Guni then said,

" There isn't much she knows about herself . You see , after she left this guy Cain , he took her

memories of her life before she met Cain . " Shido then asked , " Cain ? "

" A vampire . A real nasty one too , " Guni replied .

" Man , " Shido said , " that ' s rough . To not know who your parents were or even what your real

name is . " Guni watched Shido with interest .

" Anything the matter ? " He asked her .

" Shido , do you have . . . feelings for Riho ? "Guni asked .

They were both silent for a moment . Then Shido exhaled before saying , " You . . . you ' ll

probably think I ' m crazy , but I . . . I guess so . . . and not just in a big brotherly way either . I

mean , I realize she ' s not as young as she looks but . . . I guess most people would . . . I don't

know . . . think I was , er , robbng the cradle or something . . . I mean , it 's not something I could

admit without sounding like some sort of creep or anything , after all , I realize there ' s an age

difference between us , but . . . "

" Whoa there ! " Guni replied . " There 's an age difference all right , but it ' s not what most folks

would think . Shido , as you may or may not know , vampires live for an extremely long time , if

not forever . Do you know how old Riho is ? She ' s over a hundred and forty years old . Give or

take a couple of decades . "

" Hoo boy , " Shido replied as he slumped into his chair, " I knew she was older than she looked . I

just didn ' t realize by how much . " Guni then said , " Shido , you ' ll probably grow old and you ' ll

definitely die . After all , you ' re only human . Whereas Riho will live on and on , forever stuck in

the body of a young girl , so it ' s not fair for her to love you only to lose you to age and death .

She , more than anyone else realizes that ."

But Shido did not seem to hear this , for he said , " After I first met her , I thought that she ' d

make a nice wife if only she wasn 't too young for me . I never realized that I was the one who was

too young for her . "

Shido then stared ahead , wondering what to make of all that he had heard .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawn had come , and Megumi and Taki were preparing to leave the apartment where they had

been holed up .

" Well , Megumi , " he said , " I think we better go . No telling when that thing inside me will come

out . "

" As long as you ' re all right , Taki. That ' s all that matters , " Megumi said .


	8. A Confrontation and a Choice

===============================================================  
  
I give thanks once again to the usual reviewers : Lady - Silverkiss and Jupiter Lover . Glad you   
  
like my efforts .  
  
===============================================================  
  
A CONFRONTATION AND A CHOICE  
  
A heavily armed police squad had tracked Taki and Megumi down to the apartment building . The   
  
two raced up to the rooftop but there was no escape . The squad had the building surrounded . A  
  
few men had managed to burst into the roof where Taki and Megumi were .  
  
" Move away , " one of the men shouted .  
  
" Leave us alone ! " Megumi exclaimed as she shielded Taki . Suddenly shots rang out .  
  
Taki was hit two or three times by police sharpshooters from the other building.  
  
All Megumi could do was scream as Taki fell . As soon as he hit a car's roof , the nightbreed within  
  
him manifested itself and ran off .  
  
" Takiiiiiii ! ! ! " A hysterical Megumi cried as her arms were held by the policemen .  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Not long after sunset , Shido recieved a phonecall .  
  
" Hello ? " He said . " Yayoi ? What happened ? "  
  
After a short pause , he then said , " What ? I see . All right . " Riho showed up and asked ,  
  
" Was that Yayoi ? "  
  
" Yeah , " Shido said , " It ' s about that Ryuichi guy . " Soon Shido explained that after being shot ,  
  
the nightbreed within him took over and ran off .  
  
" I see , " Riho said . " We don ' t have any alternative , do we ? "  
  
Soon enough , the private eye and the vampire girl took a taxi to the subway . Yayoi was already   
  
there .  
  
" Ryuichi is somewhere in the subway tunnel , isn ' t he ? " Shido asked and Yayoi nodded in reply .  
  
" Shouldn ' t I go in first ? " Riho asked , " After all , I've had experience handling nightbreeds . "  
  
" You can ' t deny that she has a point , Shido , " Yayoi said .  
  
" I know , " Shdo said , " but still , I can ' t have anyone else do something I wouldn ' t do myself . "  
  
Yayoi then asked , " Meaning ? "  
  
" Maybe I should be heading down there first , " Shido said to which Yayoi replied , " Now see there ,  
  
don ' t you think . . . "  
  
" Excuse me , " Riho said , " but this is no time to argue over who gets to go in first . May I suggest  
  
that we all go in together ? " Then Guni showed up , saying , " I agree . The more time we waste  
  
here , the less chance we ' ll have to nab that 'breed . So , how about it , huh ? "  
  
They all agreed . Soon enough they were down the dark subway tunnel and they walked on for  
  
quite a long time . Soon they took notice of someone or rather something ahead of them .  
  
" There he is ! " Riho exclaimed . It was Taki Ryuichi, only he did not look exactly like his old self .  
  
" Most likely the 'breed took him over completely , " Shido said . " Looks like we ' ve got our work  
  
cut out for us. "  
  
Yayoi nodded.  
  
Suddenly the nightbreed ran away,then Riho began to pursue it , much to Shido and Yayoi ' s   
  
startlement . Guni , for her part , floated around looking rather amused , after a fashion .  
  
" What the . . . ? " Shido asked .  
  
" Well , " Yayoi said , " we 've got to follow her ! "  
  
The two then ran off with a gun and a flashlight in their hands each . Soon Guni flew after them ,   
  
yelling , " Hey ! Wait for me ! "   
  
The nightbreed soon found itself at a dead end after running for some time .  
  
" You 're cornered , " the vampire girl said as she caught up with the creature . She had already  
  
produced a blood sword and her eyes were golden . The nightbreed growled at her . It lunged at   
  
her , but she dodged it . Then she attempted to strike at the 'breed but it managed to avoid her  
  
blows . This went on for several minutes .  
  
" I see no alternative , " Riho said quietly . " The man you possessed is surely dead as far as I  
  
know , so I must dispose of you . "  
  
The 'breed was looking at her intensely . Suddenly it leaped at her . Surprisingly it impaled itself on  
  
her bloodblade , startling her . What surprised her even more was Taki slowly reverting to his   
  
human form . Before expiring , Taki had managed to gasp a few words :  
  
" T - thank . . . you . . . "  
  
After that , he was no more . The 'breed within him had perished as well .  
  
" We . . . we saw what happened , " Shido said as he and Yayoi came up to Riho . Guni floated   
  
around . She then said , " I ' ll wait outside if that 's okay with you guys . " Then she flew off .  
  
" What do you suppose made him do that ? " Asked Yayoi .  
  
" Apparently , " Riho said quietly , " Taki Ryuichi must have chosen to die as a man rather than to   
  
live as a nightbreed . "   
  
As Riho sighed , Shido looked at her with concern . Then he said , " A damn shame , what   
  
happened to him . I hope you ' re okay , Riho . "  
  
She nodded . Then Yayoi said , " Well , now that this case is over , I guess we ought to leave . "  
  
As the three walked back to the outside , Riho thought to herself , ' The Golden Dawn . What did  
  
Cain mean by that ? What exactly is the Golden Dawn ? '  
  
Shido began to wonder about what Riho went through in there , but decided to keep this to himself .  
  
As for Yayoi , she wondered how to report the whole thing to the NOS .  
  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Unknown to any of them , Cain watched them leave with a slight , if somewhat sinister , smile on  
  
his face .  
  
' Yes , my dear Riho . The Golden Dawn is indeed coming and you will be by my side when it does .  
  
After all , you are my beloved bride . For all eternity . '  
  
He then allowed himself a small chuckle before vanishing in the gloom . 


	9. What is the Golden Dawn?

Jupiter Lover , Lady-Silverkiss and Turtlerad17 , as usual , I want to thank you for reviewing .

Bumble be jack , thank you for reviewing too .

WHAT IS THE GOLDEN DAWN ?

Megumi Ostuka stood alone in the twilight .

Many months had passed since she lost her beloved Taki Ryuichi . Still , she had something to

remember him by . A new life grew within her .

Elsewhere , Cain stood contemplating a certain turn of events .

' Soon , Riho my love , ' he thought , ' the Golden Dawn will come and you will be mine again , as

you were years ago , oh yes. '

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few nights later , Shido drove around in a used car that he managed to purchase . Yayoi was

with him .

"So what do you think ? " He asked . " Not bad , eh ? " Yayoi decided to reserve judgement .

" Okay , so it ' s not exactly a new car , but at least it's in good condition . " Suddenly , Yayoi 's

cell phone rang .

" Matsunaga here , " she answered . " What is it ? "

A pause .

" I see . "

" What is it ? " Shido asked . " We ' ve got a case , " Yayoi replied . Soon the two had arrived to

the scene of a grisly incident : one of three schoolgirls had her back covered in blood and died

from the shock .

" Man , " Shido said , " talk about nasty ! If a nightbreed is behind this , maybe we should tell Riho

about it . Hopefully , she ' ll help us handle it . "

" I don ' t know , Shido , " Yayoi said , " she has a lot on her mind , what with that Cain around . "

" Cain ? " Asked Shido . " You mean that vampire creep who Riho used to be with ? "

Yayoi nodded , then Shido replied , " Well , that ' s just great . I don ' t know about you , Yayoi ,

but if you ask me , this is not a good sign . " The two remained silent for a minute or two , then . . .

" Who invited him ? " A voice was heard behind them . After tuninng , Yayoi recognized one of the

three men approaching . He was a high ranking member of the NOS .

" Matsunaga , " he said , " what is this man doing here ? He ' s not a full member of the NOS so he

shouldn ' t be here . "

" He is a part time member , " Yayoi said . " I hired him in the first place because I believed he

could be of help . "

" Part time member , indeed , " he said . " Just keep him out of this one . Do I make myself

clear ? " Then Shido stepped in , saying , " Mister , if you have a problem with my being around ,

too bad , because I ' m with ms. Matsunaga . Like it or not , I can handle stuff like this . "

The only answer Shido got from the Head NOS agent was an irritated " Hmph ! " . Then he and the

other two agents left .

Shido then said to Yayoi ," Nice guy . "

Yayoi , for her part , decided not to say anything further .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day at dusk , Megumi stood in front of her apartment watching the last of her things being

loaded into a truck .

" Hello there , " Riho said as she showed up next to her .

" Oh , it ' s you , " Megumi said . " I . . . I want to apologize for shooting you . "

" No need , Ms . Otsuka . I happen to heal quite fast . " It was then that Riho had noticed something

about Megumi .

" Did you know ? " Megumi said , " I ' m going to have Taki ' s baby . You can feel him inside me . "

Riho placed her hand over Megumi ' s belly and felt something . . . unusual . Something which at

once startled and puzzled her . She felt as though her hand was being absorbed .

' What ' s this ? ' She thought after pulling her hand away. ' How can she have a baby by Taki , who

had a nightbreed possessing him ? '

" Well , " Megumi said , " I ' ll be seeing you . "

Megumi then left . Soon enough , Guni flew out of Riho ' s ponytail .

" Whoa , " Guni said . " What was that all about ? "

" I ' m not sure , " said Riho , " but I have a strange feeling things are going to get complicated . "

" Are you gonna tell Yayoi and Shido about this ? " Guni asked .

" I have to . As inconceivable as this seems , what we might have is . . . I don ' t know , some

sort of hybrid . "

" Yeah , I see what you mean , Riho . A child of a human and a nightbreed . How unlikely is that ? "

" More unlikely than you think , Guni . Yet hardly impossible . "

Guni could not help but utter an " Huh ? "

" We ' ve got to get back to the office , Guni . Shido and Yayoi are waiting for us . "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the office , the vampire girl , the detective , the agent and the imp wound up comparing

notes .

" I don 't know about you , " Shido said , " but this whole thing is too crazy for words . "

" I know , Shido , " Yayoi replied , " a woman having a nightbreed's baby ? "

" As for this phantom killer you two told me about , do you think there might be a connection

between that and the baby ? " Asked Riho . Clearly , the three of them were trying to come to grips

with what they learned .

" The question now is , what are we going to do about all this ? " Yayoi asked . Then Shido replied ,

" Why do I have this bad feeling that there won ' t be a simple answer ? "

" You ' re right about that , Shido , " Riho said . " On top of all that , there ' s something Cain said

to me . Could the fact that Megumi Otsuka ' s baby have anything to do with this Golden Dawn he

mentioned ? "

" Indeed , my dear , " a not unfamiliar voice was heard . As all within turned , they saw Cain

standing inside the office . Shido and Yayoi took out their guns and fired but the bullets had no

effect whatsoever .

" Hold your fire ! " Riho exclaimed , and the two stopped firing . Yayoi then asked , " Is . . . is

this some kind of illusion ? " Shido then added , " All right , what in the world is going on here ? "

" Cain , " Riho said , "why are you here ? " Shido couldn't believe his ears .

' That ' s Cain ? ' He thought .

" The birth of a child by a human and a nightbreed marks the beginning of a new age , " Cain said .

" That is the Golden Dawn . "

" The Golden Dawn ? " Riho asked . " Is this what you meant by that ? " Then Cain replied , " Yes ,

my little one . We are meant to witness it together you and I . " Cain moved towards Riho , but she

held up her hand in an attempt to stop him . He moved no further .

" As I told you before , Cain ," Riho said , " I ' m not interested in your so-called Golden Dawn . Now

leave us ! "

Shido watched this exchange . It was obvious to him that Cain regarded Riho as his property but

she wanted nothing from him . Shido couldn ' t blame her . Yayoi , for her part , echoed Shido ' s

feelings . Then as Cain prepared to leave , he then said , " It may interest you to know that Megumi

Ostuka is being taken by the NOS . "

" What ? " Yayoi asked .

" You heard me , " Cain replied , " I suggest all of you do something about it . "

And with that , Cain vanished . Guni flew around , saying , " How do you like that ? Well , what are

you guys gonna do , huh ? "

Riho stood quiet for a minute or two , then sighed before saying , " We don ' t have much of a

choice , now do we ? "

" Since we don 't know where they 're taking her , " Yayoi said , " we ' ll have to split up . Riho and

I will go one way . "

" And I ' ll go the other , " Shido said . " Well , good luck . "

" Wait for me , you two , " Guni said to Yayoi and Riho . " I ' m coming along ! "


	10. A Dreaded Conflict

===============================================================  
  
My thanks to Jupiter Lover , turtlerad17 , baka_kitsuneko and Lady-Silverkiss for reviewing .   
  
Now , without further ado . . .  
  
===============================================================  
  
A DREADED CONFLICT  
  
Yayoi was driving in her car with Riho in the passenger's seat when they noticed a car flanked by  
  
a couple of vans .  
  
" That ' s Megumi in there , all right , " Yayoi said . Soon enough , they managed to intercept the  
  
NOS vehicles . The head agent of the NOS who Yayoi met before emerged from one of them .  
  
" Matsunaga ! " He exclaimed . "What 's the meaning of this ? " To which Yayoi replied , " Where  
  
are you taking that woman ? "   
  
The head agent then said , " This woman may be involved in these phantom killings . For all we  
  
know , she could be a nightbreed herself . "  
  
" But she 's not involved ! " Riho exclaimed as she climbed out of Yayoi ' s car . " Not in this sort  
  
of thing ! Release her ! "  
  
" What the hell ? " The agent asked . " What is that girl doing here ? Matsunaga , did you bring her  
  
along ? It was bad enough you brought in that private eye , but to involve a minor as well ? You  
  
have some serious explaining . " Then he called in a few armed troopers who emerged from the   
  
vans . " Men , take that girl away , NOW ! " As some of the troopers grabbed Riho , she began to  
  
struggle .  
  
" Stop . . . don ' t make . . . me . . . "  
  
Her eyes began to flash . Then she threw off the troopers holding her . After biting into her finger  
  
to produce a blood sword , she swung at some of the troopers who got too close , gravely injuring  
  
them in the process . Guni flew out of Riho' s ponytail , avoiding any troopers who tried to grab   
  
her .  
  
" The girl . . . " the agent said , " she must be a nightbreed ! GET HER ! "  
  
Suddenly Riho dashed towards Megumi and called out to her , " Hang on to me ! " Megumi did so ,  
  
and soon , the two females fled away . Meanwhile Yayoi was caught by two troopers . An incensed  
  
Head agent went to her and said , " This has gone too far , Matsunaga ! You 're going to   
  
headquarters ! "  
  
Guni , meanwhile , flew as fast as she could , trying to keep up with Riho and Megumi . Elsewhere ,  
  
Shido was driving in his used car when he saw Riho dashing away quite fast with Megumi at her   
  
side .   
  
" What the ? " He muttered . Altough the two females were ahead of him by a mile or two , he  
  
decided to follow them , so he drove off . Unknown to him , Guni had seen his car and followed .  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
No more than half an hour later , Riho and Megumi managed to reach a church . As soon as both  
  
females caught their breath , Riho stared at her hands with a look of disbelief . They shook   
  
slightly .  
  
" W . . . what . . . what have I . . . done . . . ? " She asked quietly . " I . . . I . . . I swore I ' d never  
  
harm any human being . . . but . . . but . . . I struck at those men . . . "  
  
" Are you all right ? " A concerned Megumi asked .   
  
" How can I be all right ? I . . . I went and attacked human beings , " Riho said , feeling more than  
  
a bit upset . Suddenly , from out of nowhere , a voice was heard saying , " Ah , but humans are  
  
little more than cattle to us , my dear . " Riho gasped as she saw someone very familiar at the   
  
back . "They exist only to serve our purposes . "  
  
" Cain . " She said quietly .  
  
" Only a few of them are worthy of being given the gift of being a vampire , " Cain continued . " Do   
  
you know why we vampires are given the blessing of eternal life ? So that we may witness history . "   
  
" You call eternal life a blessing ? " Riho asked . " I call it a curse ! Divine punishment for preying  
  
on humanity ! "  
  
" Really , my dear , " Cain said , " have you forgotten those nights of ecstasy we spent in   
  
Transylvania ? "  
  
" T-Transylvania . . . ? " Riho asked .  
  
" Yes , I do remember , even if you do not , my sweet Riho . Come to me . . . "  
  
" No . . . I . . . "  
  
" Come . . . "  
  
" I . . . "  
  
" Come . . . "  
  
Cain 's voice was as hypnotic now as it was when he first appeared to Riho . Suddenly she stepped   
  
slowly towards him , as though she was in a daze . Megumi looked on with alarm .  
  
"Snap out of it ! " She called out .  
  
Suddenly , Riho began to shake her head , as though she had just awoken , which was not far from   
  
the truth . As soon as she saw Cain ' s hand reaching out for her , she slapped it away .  
  
" I ' ll never go with you , Cain ." Riho said in a tone of quiet anger . " Never ! " Cain , for his part ,  
  
seemed non-plussed about this .  
  
" I will not give up on you , my little one , " he said . " If you wish to stop me , follow me if you can . "  
  
Then he chuckled before vanishing into the gloom .  
  
" I have to find him , " Riho told Megumi , " but I can ' t leave you alone . If he should come   
  
back . . . "  
  
" Go after him , " Megumi said , " don ' t worry about me . Just get him if you can . "  
  
Riho stood in thought for a while , then she said , " All right . Just be careful . "  
  
With that , the vampire girl left .  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   
  
Elsewhere , Yayoi was being interrogated by a group of men .  
  
" Let me get this straight , Ms . Matsunaga . You claim that this girl , Riho Yamazaki , has been your   
  
roommate for quite some time now . How long have you known that she was a vampire ? " One of   
  
them asked in a very stern tone of voice . The only answer Yayoi gave was silence .  
  
" Did she ever drink your blood ? " Another asked .  
  
" She 's a good person , " Yayoi said , " the fact that she ' s a vampire doesn ' t change that . "  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Megumi stood by herself inside the church , wondering if Riho had managed to find Cain . Suddenly ,  
  
the door opened . To her surprise , Shido had entered .  
  
" M . . . mr . Tatsuhiko ? Is that you ? Thank god it ' s you ," she said .  
  
" What happened ? Where ' s Riho ? " Shido asked .  
  
" She went after Cain . I hope she 's all right . "  
  
" Yeah . . . me too , "Shido said . " Well , I ' d better get you someplace safe . "  
  
" What ? Are you with those people who took me ? "  
  
" Not exactly , " Shido said . " Look , I ' m not sure what to tell you . See , there have been several   
  
killings and they think you ' re a suspect . Me , I ' m not sure . I do know this , I ' ll bet the real  
  
culprit is a nightbreed . "  
  
'Whether or not that nightbreed is the baby growing within her , I have no idea , ' he thought to   
  
himself . " Well , we ' d better . . . "  
  
But before Shido could finish his sentence , he and Megumi saw someone at the door .  
  
" I lead my little one on a merry chase and return to this place and who do I find ? The foolish man  
  
who would dare steal her from me , " a displeased Cain said . 


	11. Night of Blood

Boy , this is getting interesting . Turtlerad17 , Jupiter Lover , Lady-Silverkiss , once again you

took the time to review my fic . For that , I thank you .

NIGHT OF BLOOD

Shido aimed his gun at Cain , but the vampire swatted him with the back of his hand , practically

sending Shido flying to the back . As Cain passed Megumi , he told her , " I will deal with you later ,

woman . "

Shido had barely managed to recover consciousness when he saw Cain walking towards him . He

then realized that he had lost his gun . Cain began to kick Shido .

" You dare stand between me and my little one ? " Cain asked disdainfully . He then snorted ,

" Pathetic . "

Cain then grabbed Shido by the neck and slammed him to the wall . " I could kill you in a moment ,

but that would be too merciful for the likes of you , so I intend to make your end a slow and painful

one . " Cain then glared hatefully at Shido as he said , " You might want to beg for mercy . "

" You . . . can go . . . to hell ! " Shido choked as he tried to free himself , but Cain ' s grip was too

strong . At that moment , Riho arrived and she could not believe her eyes .

" Don ' t hurt him . . . " she said , torn between anger at Cain and concern for Shido . " Don ' t you

dare harm him . . . "

Suddenly a long nail sprang from Cain 's index finger , which he used to slash Shido 's chest

from top to bottom , much to Riho 's horror . Shido began to scream in pain for a minute or so .

Cain then released Shido who , gasping , clutched his bleeding chest . Cain , after licking the blood

on his nail , stared with cold disdain at the man whose back was to the wall .

" You will bleed to death , human , " Cain said , " slowly and painfully . " He then turned as he

heard Riho calling out to him .

" Cain . . . " she said with anger as she produced a blood blade , " . . . you . . . MONSTER ! "

She then rushed at Cain who produced a bloodsword of his own to counter hers . As the two

vampires exited the church , Shido struggled to remain standing . At that moment , Guni had come

in . When she saw Shido , she said , "Whoa ! That ' s a nasty gash ! "

" I . . . " Shido gasped , " I ' ve got . . . g - got . . . to . . . "

" Hold it , Shido ! " Guni said . " You 're in no condition to be movin ' around ! " She then turned to

Megumi and said , " You see what you can do for him . I ' m gonna help Riho ! " With that , she

flew off while Megumi went to Shido 's side .

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Guni had arrived to where the vampire girl was , she was already fighting Cain on top

of Bay Bridge . He had caused a truck to explode prior to that . Their battle was bathed in the glow

of the flames .

" Do you really want to kill me , my dear ? " Cain asked . " If you do manage to kill me , you will

never regain your memories of your past life . "

Riho responded by swinging her blade at Cain , but he parried her thrust . He then told her , " Do

not force me to kill you , my beloved . " Unknown to Cain , Guni flew behind him and let loose a

lightning bolt that hit his back . That caused him to get angry as he turned to Guni .

" You miserable little imp ! " He called out . Suddenly , he was being struck down by Riho ' s blood

sword , much to his startlement . " You . . . struck . . . me down ? " Cain asked . " But . . . your

memories . . . "

" Maybe I prefer my life as it is now , " Riho said . Cain ' s body tumbled into the flames below .

" Is . . . is he gone . . . for good ? " Guni asked as she landed on Riho ' s shoulder .

" I wish I knew for sure , " Riho replied . " Cain can be very tricky . Perhaps I should have chopped

off his head . " She then exhaled before resuming , " In any case , he won't be causing any more

harm for the time being . "

Guni watched for a moment , then she said , " Er , Riho . . . "

" I know , Guni , " Riho sighed in answer , " I must get back to Shido . "

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the church , Shido had already fallen to his knees , still clutching his chest , a pool of blood

beneath him . Megumi watched with concern . There was not much she could do for him . It was

then that Riho walked in with a grim look on her face . As she knelt by Shido ' s side , she said ,

" I ' m so sorry , Shido . I never wanted this to happen to you . "

" R - Riho . . . there . . . there isn't any . . . choice . Is t - there ?" Shido asked , gasping . The

vampire girl then asked , " What are you talking about ? "

" If . . . you d - don 't want . . . me to . . . d - die . . . y - you . . . you 're . . . gonna . . . have to . . .

give . . . m - me your . . . blood . M - make . . . make me . . . a vampire . . . like you . " Riho

gasped , horrified that Shido would suggest such a thing . " I . . . I can 't do that ! How can I

let you become a creature of the night , forced to spend an eternal life of shunning the sun ? "

" L - like . . . I said , " Shido replied weakly , " N - no . . . choice . I know . . . what . . . I . . . "

It seemed to Riho that time had stopped in its tracks as she pondered whether to turn Shido into

a vampire or let him die as a human . She then said quietly , " Please forgive me . "

She then pressed her lips into Shido ' s as they both shut their eyes . After a while , she gave him

some space and watched as the gash had miraculously healed and the bleeding stopped . He then

stood up and when he opened his eyes , they began to flash .

" Thank you , Riho , " he said , but she had nothing to say . Guni and Megumi were silent as well .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While this was going on , Yayoi was finally released by the NOS , who were forced to concede that

everything she said was on the level whether they liked it or not . They had no choice but allow

the vampire girl to be with her . . . for the time being , in their words .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few months later , a smiling Megumi was cradling a baby in her arms . Two figures watched

them as the sun was setting .

" I guess neither Megumi or her baby were responsible for the killings after all , " Shido said .

" Not really , " Riho replied . " In any case , I ' m happy for her . Her baby is beautiful . " After a

while , Shido noticed something about her . " Is anything the matter ? " He asked . After a pause ,

she said , " There ' s one thing I ' m not happy about , and that ' s what I did to you , Shido . I

turned you into a vampire . I robbed you of the right to die . I wouldn ' t blame you if you hated me

for it ."

" Look , " Shido said , " I could never hate you . After all , you weren 't the one who slashed me . I

have no regrets about asking you to turn me so don 't blame yourself for this . Besides , if you ' ve

gotta spend eternity , you might as well have some company . "

After listening to Shido ' s words , Riho then said , " I wish I could say you were right , but it ' s

been my sad experience that people tend to meet , then they part . " A minute or so later , she

smiled slightly and said , " Still . . . I wouldn 't mind your company . . . I guess . " Shido then

said , " Well , Yayoi ' s waiting for us . Let 's go . "

And with that , the two vampires walked away into the approaching night .


	12. Mysterious Medicine

If you're wondering , I included an OC , Rumiko Kanzaki . Now , once more , I thank those who

reviewed : turtlerad17 , Jupiter Lover , Lady-Silverkissand VictoriaH .

MYSTERIOUS MEDICINE

A teachers ' lounge at a high school .

Rumiko Kanzaki , a nice looking woman in her late 20s with shoulder length dark brown hair , was

sipping a cup of coffee when a fellow teacher came in .

" So , any news about your old friend , the detective ? "

" Shido ? I haven ' t heard from him for a couple of months now . " Rumiko replied . " I hope he ' s

all right . "

Suddenly a scream was heard . Rumiko ran out and one of the students , a rather hysterical girl

ran into her .

" Oh my god ! Teacher Kanzaki ! This is awful ! "

" What is it ? " Rumiko asked . Soon she followed the girl outside and saw that a female student of

hers had fallen from the rooftop to her death.This girl had a bottle of pills in her hand . Needless

to say , Rumiko was horrified . And she was not the only one , for there was a crowd gathering

around this scene .

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One rainy evening , at the office of the Tatsuhiko Detective agency , Yayoi saw Riho at the couch .

Guni was sitting on the nearby table .

" Have you seen Shido ? " Yayoi asked . The vampire girl replied , " He went for a walk . He wanted

to clear his head . "

Yayoi then said , " That ' s pretty understandable , considering what happened to him not long

ago . "

" If you mean my turning him into a vampire , I assure you , Yayoi , if there were any other way

to save his life , don 't you think I would have done so ? "

" Look , Riho , " Guni started , " we all know Shido wanted you to do that for him , so it doesn't do

any good blamin ' yourself . "

" I know , " Riho said . " What ' s done is done . I can only hope Shido is strong enough to resist

the temptation to prey on people . "

Then Yayoi said , " Not to change the subject or anything , but there ' s this case that I think he

ought to take . "

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shido walked in the dusk on a bridge , thinking about , among other things , his being a vampire .

So far , he had not drunk a single drop of human blood , not even Yayoi 's , but he wasn ' t sure

how long that would last . He realized that he would no longer be able to die . Not far away ,

Rumiko was walking by herself , having come from the funeral of that poor girl who fell from the

school ' s rooftop , her thoughts were as stormy as the sky . As she made her way to a certain

bridge , she saw someone she thought looked familiar .

" Shido ? " She told herself . As she came closer , she called out , " Shido ! I thought it was you ! "

Shido turned and saw her . Then he said , " Rumiko ? Has it been a couple of months since the

last time we saw each other ? "

Rumiko nodded , then Shido resumed , " I hardly recognized you without your camera . "

" Shido , you know photography is just my hobby , " Rumiko said .

" That ' s right , " Shido said , " you ' re a teacher . So , how are things at school ? "

" Odd you should mention that , Shido . I just came from a funeral for a girl in my class . She fell

off the school ' s roof . "

" She 's so lucky , " Shido said quietly . " To be able to die . . . I envy her . "

Rumiko gasped in shock , unable to believe what she heard . " H - how . . . how can you say such

a thing ? "

" I ' m sorry , " Shido replied apologetically , " I didn ' t mean it like that . Now then tell me what

happened . "

Rumiko looked at Shido . They were quite close since they both went to the same high school . In

fact , until a couple of months ago , they had kept in touch with each other from time to time . It

was then that she began notice something about him but decided to set it aside .

" Well , Shido , " she said , " it ' s a long story . " To which Shido replied , " Don 't worry , Rumiko .

I ' ve got time . " All the time in the world , he thought to himself .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the office , Shido walked as the two females and the imp awaited .

" Shido , " Yayoi said , " we ' ve got something . " To which Shido replied , " Let me guess , there ' s

been a string of deaths at a high school . A teacher , who happens to be an old friend of mine ,

told me all about it . "

" Did the teacher tell you about the pills that victim had ? "

" I ' m afraid so . " Yayoi then showed her partners a bottle with pills . She said , " This is what

was found on the victim ' s hand . " It was then that Riho said , " I wonder , could a nightbreed be

involved ? " Shido then replied , " Now that ' s a possibility . Well , this bottle seems to be our only

lead . "

The vampire girl looked at Shido and she wondered about him . She knew that all he drank was

water and she was getting more than a little concerned for him .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rumiko arrived at her apartment . One of her rooms was filled with photographs of varied subjects ,

and more than a few were of Shido .She also had several cameras . After all , as she stated to him ,

photography was her hobby . She loved to take pictures , but today , she was in no mood to take

any pictures . She noticed something was . . . odd with Shido , but what it was she had no clue .

Rumiko and Shido were quite close back in high school , but now . . .

'Shido , " she thought to herself , " what happened to you ?"


	13. Revealing the Unexpected

Lady-Silverkiss , JupiterLover , turtlerad17 , thank you for your reviews .

Sorry about the delay but the computer had to be repaired .()

REVEALING THE UNEXPECTED

Shido had arrived to his office building one night.After parking his car,he saw Riho standing at the

door.As they entered they were unaware someone was watching.

------------------------------------------------------------

" Shido , I'm worried about you . "

" About me ? " Shido asked . " What do you mean ,Riho ? "

" I understand that all you ' ve drunk is water , " Riho said .

" Yeah , and it doesn ' t quench this thirst . Club soda doesn ' t help , coffee doesn 't help , alcohol

doesn ' t help . . . "

" I fear that if the craving for blood proves to be too strong . . . it may drive you mad , Shido . I

know what I ' m talking about . Now do you realize why I was reluctant to turn you into a

vampire ? "

" I understand , " Shido said as he slumped on the couch . " Still , if I had to do it all over again , I

wouldn ' t change a thing . Still , being new to being a vampire . . . right now I feel as if I have to

crawl all over again after walking all of my life . . ."

--------------------------------------------------------------

The following night Rumiko was preparing to leave school when one of her fellow teachers came up

to her. She had short brown hair and glasses . Her name was Ayane Kamiya and she had first met

Shido six months ago .

" Rumiko , " Ayane said , " you ' re not going to believe this . "

" Ayane , what are you getting at ? "

" I was on my way home last night when I happened to pass by Shido's office building not long

after sundown . I noticed a young girl standing by the front door . When Shido arrived , she was

actually tending to him . He didn ' t exactly seem well to me . "

" A girl ? " Rumiko asked . " Exactly how old was she , Ayane ? "

" I ' m not sure , but I don ' t think she was a day over sixteen . "

Rumiko pondered these words before saying , "What would that girl want with Shido ? He never

told me about her . "

Ayane let Rumiko be by herself . Not long afterwards Rumiko went to Shido ' s office building . It

was there that she saw Shido coming out with Riho by his side .

' It IS true ! ' Rumiko thought . ' What ' s going on there ? '

----------------------------------------------------------------

The next day Ayane gave Rumiko a bottle of pills.

" What ' s this ? " Rumiko asked , to which Ayane replied , " It ' s some kind of herbal medicine in

pill form . "

" I don ' t know about this . Now , if you ' ll excuse me , I ' m calling Shido . "

----------------------------------------------------------------

" Hello ? "

" Shido , it 's me, Rumiko . "

" Did you call me for something ? "

" I did , Shido . Last night , I saw you with a young girl . Who is she ?" After a pause , Shido then

replied , " She happens to be someone who works with me . "

" With you ? What do you mean ? If she happens to be your secretary or something , shouldn ' t

she be working FOR you ? In any case , she seems rather too young to be with you . "

Shido was at a loss for words . How could he explain to Rumiko what Riho was and what she meant

to him ?

" Shido , you mean a lot to me . We ' ve been there for each other since high school . I was with

you on your mother and sister ' s funeral . . . "

" That 's true , " Shido told her .

" In any case , I'll come to your office later tonight . We must discuss this whole thing further . "

----------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as night fell , Yayoi and Riho had left to seek out the nightbreed responible for more drug

related deaths , not unlike the one Rumiko brought to Shido ' s attention . Shido , for his part , felt

that he had settle things with Rumiko , so he waited for her in his office . He did not have to wait

long , for there was a knock at the door .

" Rumiko ? " Shido asked as he let her in .

" Shido , I don't know what ' s going on between you and that girl , but . . . " Rumiko ' s voice

trailed off and Shido watched her . She then asked , " Are you going to do something about this ?

Two more students were killed and they both had . . . "

It was then that Shido had a strange look in his eyes . He then got closer to Rumiko .

" Shido ? " Rumiko asked . "What ' s the . . . matter ? " She seemed dazed . Suddenly Shido pulled

away and both he and Rumiko snapped out . " What ' s going on ? " She asked of him . He shook

for a while before answering , " Rumiko . . . I . . . I ' ve become . . . a . . . a . . . vampire . "

" What ? "

" I ' m sorry I couldn ' t tell you before , but . . . "

Suddenly the telephone rang . Shido answered it , then he told her , " I have to go . We ' ll talk

about this when I get back . "

Rumiko found herself all alone . She began to feel as if the whole world was turned upside down .

She had the pills in her hands .


	14. A Regretful Parting

===============================================================  
  
My thanks to Turtlerad17 , Lady Silverkiss and JupiterLover for reviewing , as usual .  
  
===============================================================  
  
A REGRETFUL PARTING  
  
As Shido was driving , his mind was on the conversation he had with Yayoi on the phone .   
  
Apparently a nightbreed had indeed possessed those who been taking certain pills . Yayoi and Riho   
  
had tracked the breed , which had possessed a female student from Rumiko ' s school to a   
  
commercial area not far from the school . As soon as Shido arrived to where the two females and  
  
Guni were , Yayoi had tossed him a bottle filled with blood .  
  
"What's this ? " Shido asked , to which Yayoi replied , " I got it from the blood bank . It took some  
  
doing arranging this . "   
  
" Yayoi , I . . . "  
  
" Shido , how are you supposed to help us if you haven ' t fed ? "  
  
" I must agree with Yayoi , " Riho replied . " If I had the time right now , I ' d help you feed ,   
  
but . . . "  
  
Shido realized that it was pointless to argue with the two of them so he drank from the bottle .  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Her name was Mikako . She had recently taken a few pills which were supposed to be a herbal   
  
remedy . What she did not realize until it was far too late was that these pills caused whoever  
  
took them to become an empty shell which a certain nightbreed could possess easily . Now she   
  
was pursued by two females , one of them being a vampiric hunter of nightbreeds and they were   
  
hot on her trail joined by a man who wound up grabbing her.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
" I got her ! " Shido called out , struggling to hold on to the breed possessed girl . Riho and Yayoi  
  
manged to reach him . Yayoi held her gun ready while Riho went up to the girl . Shido saw as she  
  
sank her fangs on the girl ' s neck in order to suck out the nightbreed that had taken her over . No  
  
sooner had Riho spat the breed out than it began to slip away at such speed before she even had a   
  
chance to destroy it .  
  
" Oh , man ! " Shido exclaimed . " It got away ! It could be anywhere by now . "  
  
" Well , " Guni said , " There ain ' t much anybody can do about it now . "  
  
" Now what ? " Shido asked . " What ' ll we do about this girl ? "  
  
" I think the two of us can take it from here , " Yayoi replied .  
  
" Don ' t you mean the THREE of us ? " A rather miffed Guni asked .  
  
" Whatever , " Yayoi said . " In any case , Shido , isn ' t there someone you have to see ? "  
  
" You ' re right , " Shido exhaled . " I ' ll see you girls later . "  
  
As soon as Shido drove off , Riho and Yayoi tended to the girl who managed to recover   
  
consciousness . Riho then thought to herself , ' I have a feeling Shido may need our help . '  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shido managed to to reach the office building . As he climbed down from his car , he noticed   
  
something , or rather , someone , on the roof top . That someone was Rumiko .  
  
" Rumiko ? " Shido asked himself . As he entered the building , he was unaware that the mass  
  
which had previously possessed that girl was racing up the facade . On the rooftop , Rumiko  
  
already took one of the pills on her hand .  
  
Several minutes later , Shido had reached the rooftop where Rumiko stood . He took a few  
  
tentative steps before saying , " Rumiko . . . I . . . "  
  
Suddenly Rumiko began to change in front Shido ' s startled eyes . " My god ! " Shido exclaimed .  
  
" Rumiko ! What ' s happening to you ? " The creature that had been Rumiko began to snarl at   
  
him . " Rumiko ! It 's me , Shido ! " Suddenly the creature convulsed . ' Oh god , ' he thought ,   
  
' it ' s like two entities are fighting to possess one body . The struggle within her is like the   
  
struggle within me , the struggle between the man I was and the vampire I ' ve become . '  
  
The breed - possessed Rumiko then began to move to the edge of the rooftop . ' Rumiko , ' Shido   
  
thought , ' I can't let let you lose your humanity to that creature ! ' Shido then saw her fall off the  
  
roof ' s edge and he dashed after her . At that moment , Yayoi , Riho and Guni had arrived and  
  
saw Shido snatch the breed-possessed Rumiko in mid-air . After landing , Shido bit her neck to  
  
suck out the creature within . Once he spat it out , Rumiko regained her human features . After   
  
using drops of her blood to destroy the creature for good , Riho went up to Shido who held   
  
Rumiko in his arms and asked , " Are you . . . all right?"  
  
" I ' m . . . beginning . . . to understand what you must have gone through all those years , "  
  
Shido exhaled . Riho replied , " You do ? Perhaps . "   
  
It was then Rumiko regained conciousness .  
  
" S - Shido . . . ?" She asked . " I don ' t care that you ' re a vampire . You ' re the man I ' ve   
  
known and cared for since high school . You and I . . . "  
  
" Rumiko , " Shido said as he put her down , " I ' ve changed a lot . I can no longer walk under   
  
the sun . What I ' m trying to say is , I ' m no longer human , so I can no longer be with you . I ' m  
  
sorry. Maybe it ' d be for the best that we parted . I . . . " Shido exhaled , struggling to find the  
  
proper words . All he could say was a quiet " Goodbye . "  
  
A stunned Rumiko barely heard Yayoi as she said , " Come on , I ' ll take you to your home . "  
  
Riho looked with sympathy at Rumiko and Shido, realizing more than ever the high cost of   
  
immortality .  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Days later , at her apartment , Rumiko stared at a few pictures of both Shido and herself . Tears  
  
rolled down her cheeks , for she knew Shido was out of her life forever .  
  
' I ' ll never forget you , Shido Tatsuhiko , ' Rumiko thought . ' You were my inspiration in  
  
whatever I did . That ' s why I took these pictures of you . You were with me when I joined the   
  
photography club . I was with you when you opened your detective agency . We had something  
  
together . But now . . . '  
  
Rumiko began to sigh . 


	15. In the Bowels of the Earth

==============================================================  
  
turtlerad17 , Jupiter Lover , glad you managed to review . What can I say ? Reviews such as   
  
yours are why I manage to update this fic of mine . Glad you reviewed too , devilchick666 .  
  
==============================================================  
  
IN THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH  
  
One night in a graveyard two figures were in pursuit of a third . The pursuers , Shido and Riho ,  
  
were on the trail of a nightbreed that had possessed a man . The man ' s skin had turned green  
  
and his eyes were red . The vampire girl had produced a blood sword while her partner had pulled   
  
out his gun and called out to her , " I ' ll cover you , Riho ! " She then replied , " Thanks , Shido , I   
  
appreciate it ! "Soon enough the breed had knocked off a quite large tombstone which it hurled at   
  
Shido, who just barely avoided it .  
  
" Shido ! Are you all right ? " Riho called out . " I'm okay , " he replied . It was then that the two   
  
vampires and the breed had noticed a brown-haired girl who seemed no older than seven . The   
  
breed suddenly snatched her . Guni , who had caught up with the two vampires , called out ,   
  
" Hey ! Did you see that ? "   
  
" I did , " Riho replied before dashing off after the breed and its captive . " Hey , wait ! " Shido  
  
called out to her . The vampire girl and her quarry had managed to get to the other side of the   
  
road . However , just before Shido could do the same , a truck came down upon him , forcing him  
  
to leap back .  
  
" You okay , Shido ? " Guni called out .   
  
Shido then replied , " That was close ! "   
  
" That truck could have hit you , " Guni said . After looking around , Shido then exclaimed , " Oh ,   
  
man ! I lost track of Riho and that breed she was chasing ! "  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Riho had managed to catch up to the breed and its captive . In less time than it took to tell , she  
  
snatched the little girl from its clutches . However the breed soon charged at the two of them ,   
  
causing all three to fall down a nearby well .   
  
Some time later , Riho was the first to recover consciousness . She then saw the girl lying nearby   
  
and asked , " Are . . . are you all right ? "  
  
The girl opened her eyes said , " I . . . I think so . " Riho smiled slightly at this .It was then the two  
  
girls heard a low growling . The breed-possessed man rushed in , but was soon pinned down by a   
  
blood sword .  
  
" Damn it , girl ! Get this off me ! "  
  
Riho decided to ignore him and concentrated on her surroundings instead . The well ' s bottom was  
  
not exactly cramped . She also noticed a ladder on the well ' s wall which , unfortunately , was too  
  
high for anyone here to reach .  
  
" Looks like we 're stuck here , vampire ," the breed said , " all three of us . " He then smirked .  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
At the office , Shido had finished drinking from Yayoi ' s neck.  
  
" I must say , Shido , " Yayoi said , " for some reason , there ' s something quite sensual about  
  
your drinking my blood . "  
  
" Glad somebody 's enjoying this , " Shido said , " Me , I don 't know if I ' ll ever get used to this  
  
whole blood drinking thing . On top of everything else , it ' s been three days , and we still haven 't  
  
found Riho . " Yayoi then replied , " I know , I ' m worried about her , too . Believe me , I ' m  
  
doing what I can to find her . "  
  
" I should have caught up to her , " Shido said . Then Guni said , " What could you have done ?  
  
You don't have much experience at being a vampire like she has , Shido , so you don 't have   
  
much command of your abilities . "  
  
" Don ' t remind me , Guni , " Shido replied . It was obvious he was feeling frustrated over being  
  
unable to help someone who he needed as much as she needed him .  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
' Three days , ' Riho thought to herself . ' We ' ve been in this pit for three days . '  
  
" I imagine you must be hungry by now , girl , " the breed said . " Why don ' t you drink her   
  
blood ? You ' re a vampire after all . " Riho then replied , " I was a human before I became a   
  
vampire and I still have a human heart ! "  
  
" A human heart ? You are one deluded bloodsucker , girl. There is no way in Hell anyone would   
  
consider one such as you human . You ' re no different from us nightbreeds who consume human   
  
flesh . "  
  
Just then the cell phone which the breed's host carried began to ring.After the breed smashed the   
  
cell phone , it then said , " How can I concentrate with this thing making such a racket ? "  
  
" We could have used that to call for help , " Riho said . She then concentrated on the sword   
  
pinning the breed-possessed man down .  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
" So the guy ' s name is Koji Ozaki , huh ? " Shido asked as he saw Yayoi bring up the man ' s file  
  
on her laptop . She then replied , " Apparently , since he was reported missing four days ago ,   
  
it ' s a safe bet that that breed took him over at that time . "  
  
" What about the girl ? "  
  
" No reports as yet , " Yayoi said , to which Shido replied , " Swell . " He then stood , slamming  
  
his fist to his palm in frustration , thinking to himself , ' I ' ve just got to find you , Riho . '   
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The construction work above ground did not allow anyone to hear Riho ' s calls , so she wound up   
  
sleeping for no more than a hour . When she awoke , she saw the girl tugging at the blood sword   
  
pinning the breed down . She then asked in alarm , " What are you doing ? "  
  
" That ' s it ! Pull it away and I can go look for help , " the breed-possessed Ozaki said .  
  
Once the sword was pulled away , the breed started to change into a dark-green monstrosity . " I  
  
can ' t belive I let this . . . gimmick hold me down ! "  
  
" Stay behind me , " Riho told the girl in a quiet tone . Then just as the monster started to charge  
  
at her , the sun came shining down the shaft . Riho managed to keep to the shadows but the  
  
breed was not so lucky . Weakened , it reverted to its human-like shape and collasped . Soon   
  
enough it started to rain .  
  
After a while , Riho had drifted off to sleep . 


	16. Unbidden Memories

==============================================================  
  
Again I thank the following for revewing : turtlread17 and JupiterLover  
  
==============================================================  
  
UNBIDDEN MEMORIES  
  
Europe .  
  
More than a century or so ago .  
  
Within a fine home belonging to a well-to-do family , a girl of sixteen with brown hair had walked   
  
down the stairs . She had an excited look on her face as she went up to her parents .  
  
" Is it true , poppa ? " The girl asked . " We're having a party here tonight ? "  
  
" It ' s true , my dear , " the father , a successful merchant , said .   
  
" Will there be dancing ? " She asked , to which her mother replied , " I don ' t see why there  
  
shouldn ' t be any . " The girl then hugged and kissed her parents .  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The party started well that night .  
  
The girl was dancing with a youth her own age as a quartet of fiddlers played . There was also   
  
good food . Everyone here was having a good time . Obviously the girl ' s parents spared no  
  
expense to ensure a fine party worthy of their daughter . Soon afterwards , the last of the guests   
  
had arrived , a fancily garbed , handsome looking man with shoulder length blonde hair . As he   
  
looked around he saw the girl with an interested look in his eyes , as if he had found some new   
  
treasure to possess . His name was Cain and he kept gazing at her . If she had known about  
  
the man who saw her , she gave no sign whatsoever of this .   
  
' We will meet again , ' he thought as he stared at her dancing away , ' I know we will . ' He then  
  
smiled , as if he was planning something then and there . He excused himself before leaving the  
  
party . Once he left he chuckled quietly to himself .  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A few nights after the party , the girl was walking home after a late session at her tutor ' s . As  
  
she walked towards her home , she began to notice something at a clearing ahead of her . A   
  
woman was being bitten on the neck by someone .   
  
That someone turned out to be Cain . When he saw the girl , he actually looked pleased , for it   
  
seemed that things could not have worked out any better if he had planned them himself . As for   
  
the girl , she realized that she was staring at a vampire . She started to run while Cain followed   
  
her . Ultimately she sought refuge in a chapel , but that did not stop the vampire from following   
  
her inside . " You may call me . . . Cain , " he told her . The girl backed away .  
  
" W - what do you want from me ? " She asked as Cain had come inside . Then he said ,  
  
" Listen to me , my dear , there is no such thing as an afterlife . There is only a dark eternity .  
  
Where there is light , there is darkness . Most humans would rather not acknowledge this , but it  
  
is the truth . "  
  
His next words unnerved the young girl .   
  
" I find you particularly , delectably beautiful . You shall be my bride , for I will not allow you to  
  
lose your beauty to the ravages of time . We will share this dark eternity together . "  
  
" Leave . . . " she said , " leave me . . . alone . . . d - don ' t . . . "  
  
The next thing the girl knew , she had a dazed look in her eyes as Cain got closer to her . Then  
  
everything went black .  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The first thing the girl knew as she opened her eyes was that something within her had changed .  
  
She felt a thirst so unbearable , she wondered how to quell it . Cain then showed up and said ,  
  
" You are a vampire now , my dear , so you must drink the blood of humans in order to survive .  
  
You must keep on drinking blood for the rest of your eternal life . "  
  
" Drink . . . blood ? " She asked . " How can . . . I . . . "   
  
She knew how , but not if she wanted to . But the thirst gnawed at her . Soon enough she realized   
  
that she had no alternative but to seek out necks to bite . The next several nights were all a blur  
  
as she drank the blood of any she met , mostly males her own age and slightly older . If she ever   
  
felt any regret or sorrow towards those whose blood she drank , it was hard to tell .  
  
One particularly gloomy night , the girl had found herself on a street littered with corpses as far as  
  
the eye could see . She was very much alarmed when she saw her mother's body among them .  
  
" Mother ? ! ? " She called out . " What . . . what have I done ? " Then Cain appeared to pick up  
  
the mother's body and told the girl , " Do not despair , your mother will live again , for we do not  
  
kill humans but rather , grant them an opportunity to be among the chosen ones . Few ever do  
  
so . "  
  
At the nearby chapel , Cain placed the mother's body on an altar . The concerned girl watched as  
  
her mother's eyes opened . Then after she got up , they began to flash . The girl's mother was a  
  
vampire like herself now .  
  
Later , within the top of the chapel's tower , the girl asked , " Mother , where's father ? " Then the  
  
mother looked downcast as she said , " He . . . he's dead . "  
  
Outside , the sun shone brightly . Inside , the girl asked , " What is it ? " She saw a look of despair  
  
in her mother's face as she said , " I should never have been brought back . I don ' t belong in the  
  
world of the living . I belong with your father . "  
  
The mother then got up and walked towards an open window . The girl then said , "Mother , what  
  
are you doing ? " She then saw her mother leap out the window into the daylight . She tried to   
  
reach out for her mother , but it was far too late .  
  
" MOTHER ! ! ! "   
  
As the mother's falling body turned into ashes in the daylight , the girl sank to her knees and began  
  
to weep . Her tears were streaking her face .  
  
" I ' m . . . I ' m so sorry , mother , " she sobbed , " I ' m sorry I allowed this to happen to you . . .  
  
I ' m sorry . . . so , so , sorry . . . "  
  
And the vampire girl kept on sobbing into the day .  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Riho had awoken with a start . She began to wonder if what she had dreamed were her own  
  
memories . Were they supressed rather than snatched ?  
  
She then saw the little girl sleeping nearby . She had reminded Riho of herself when she was   
  
her age . Riho then decided that she would not allow this child to be a victim of the supernatural . 


	17. Out of the Well

============================================================================================================  
  
I got myself a notebook computer . Thank you for waiting . And thanks to turtlread17 and JupiterLover for reviewing .  
  
============================================================================================================  
  
OUT OF THE WELL   
  
Shido had been examining a map . Circled on that map was the area where , three nights ago , he had lost track of Riho . As he   
  
stood in thought , Yayoi and Guni were watching .  
  
" There ' s one place I haven ' t checked yet , " Shido said , " there ' s some construction work being done there . " After a few  
  
minutes , Shido then went to Yayoi ' s laptop .  
  
" Now what ? " Yayoi asked .  
  
" That little girl , " Shido replied , " the one Riho went to rescue . "  
  
"There ' s nothing on her . I know , I checked and double-checked , " Yayoi answered . Then Shido replied , "Well , I have this   
  
feeling if we find out anything about her . . . "  
  
" Man , Shido , " Guni said , " you are one stubborn guy , you know that ? "   
  
" Hey , you gotta be stubborn to be a private eye , which is what I was before I became a vampire . " After a few minutes of  
  
checking yearbook pictures from various junior grade schools , Shido finally found something .  
  
" That ' s her ! " He called out . Then he said , " Hey , wait a minute ! " Yayoi went to him and saw what was on that file .  
  
" Shido , " she said , " Do you realize how old this file is ? "  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
At the bottom of the well , Riho had noticed that the girl had a fever .  
  
" Poor child , " she said , " she must have pneumonia . "  
  
" It ' s your fault , you know , " the breed-possesed Koji Ozaki said from his prone position . " If you ' d drank her blood ,  
  
she wouldn ' t be suffering right now . As it is , I don't think she ' ll make it through the night ."   
  
Riho glared at the breed .   
  
" You could turn her into a vampire . That way , She won't have to die from pneumonia and your thirst can be quenched . As for   
  
me , I can go to oblivion , satisfied in the knowledge that you 're no better than any nightbreed . "  
  
He then started to chuckle . For her part , Riho ignored the breed and looked around . The breed then said , "I can ' t believe  
  
you ' re wasting your time looking for a way out , girl . I mean , if there were , we would have been out three days ago . "  
  
It was then that the vampire girl had noticed a trickle of water on a wall . After producing a blood sword , she went and picked  
  
up the little girl who opened up her eyes .  
  
" Please , " Riho said , " listen to me . I realize you have a fever , but I want you to listen . " After a while , the vampire girl went  
  
and struck at the wall where she found the trickiling water .  
  
" What are you doing ? " The breed asked .  
  
" There is a way to get her and myself out of here , " Riho replied as she whacked away at the wall , " and I won ' t have to turn   
  
this child into a vampire to do it ! "  
  
" What ? "   
  
" If . . . I . . . can . . . "  
  
It was then that a rumble was heard . Riho then held the child with her free arm and told her , " Hold on . " Suddenly , water burst  
  
out of the wall . Soon enough , the well was filling up .  
  
" Hold on to me , " Riho said as she grabbed the ladder and began to climb out , the child by her side . In hardly any time at all ,  
  
both girls had managed to climb out .  
  
" There you go , " Riho told the child as she placed her by the well , " you can rest here . " As soon as the child closed her eyes ,  
  
the vampire girl produced a blood sword and waited for the nightbreed to come out .  
  
She did not have to wait long , for the breed soon emerged from the well . Suddemly , just before the breed could strike , it was  
  
being gunned by silver-jacketed bullets . Riho saw who fired upon the breed .  
  
" Shido . . . Yayoi . . . "  
  
As soon as the breed was obliterated in a burst of light ,Shdo and Yayoi ran towards the well with Guni close behind them .   
  
" Riho . . . are you . . . are you . . . okay ? " Shido asked . In reply ,an exhausted Riho embraced him as she said , " I am . . . now ."  
  
For his part , Shido was mildly puzzled but mostly relieved that Riho was all right after all that had happened . A minute or so  
  
later , Riho , still in Shido ' s arms , was startled when she saw Yayoi aiming her gun at the child .  
  
"Y - Yayoi . . . ? What . . . what are you doing ? "  
  
" Riho , this child isn ' t what you thnk she is , " Yayoi replied .  
  
" What ? "  
  
" We found out that this girl had been missing over thirty years ago , " Yayoi said . Then Shido added , " She ' s right . "  
  
" Thirty years ? " Riho said quietly . " But that would mean she ' s a . . . "  
  
As in answer , the child got up and opened her eyes which began to shine with a golden color . It was obvious now to all present   
  
that this child was a vampire herself . " A vampire ? Apparently that nice family whom I lived with for a while must have reported  
  
my "disappearance" .So That was what gave me away , eh ? I have been exisiting for five hundred years and , I must admit , my  
  
dear girl , you impressed me a lot . We shall meet again ."  
  
The vampire child then vanished , giggling as she did , leaving the four of them rather startled . 


	18. A Mother and her Child

Thanks for reviewing again , turtlerad17 and JupiterLover. Sorry the preceding

chapter was somewhat short and that it took me a long time to write this one (because of a slight case of

writer's block.Only slight,mind you.).

A MOTHER AND HER CHILD

Shido , Yayoi and Guni were somewhat surprised as they saw Riho walk into the office , carrying a small bundle

of fur in a box .

" Is that a kitten , Riho ? " Shido asked . She then replied with a slight smile ," Strange , isn't it ? " She then told

them how she met a little boy who had kept the kitten in a box .

" The boy couldn ' t keep this kitten because his mother wouldn't allow it , so he asked me to take care of it

for him for a while . I must admit , this tiny creature has grown on me . "

' Even though she ' s a vampire who 's lived for over a hundred years or more , ' Shido thought to himself , ' she

still must have a human heart in order or her to be so taken with that kitten . ' Guni noticed the smile on Shido 's

face .

" What are you smiling for ? " Guni asked .

Shido was at a loss for words .

" Did the mother come ? " Yayoi asked . The vampire girl replied , " I ' m afraid she did , and she looked rather

angry . "

" Well , I don't know what to say about that , " Shido replied .

" Don 't bother , " Guni said .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A day or so later , a case presented itself .

" According to this , " Shido said , " mutilated animals are popping up ."

" What ? " Yayoi asked .

" Apparently , the carcass of a dog was found by the marketplace . I mean , is that sick or what ? "

" More than sick , if you ask me , " Riho said , her concerns tempered by her demeanor .

" Well , " Shido said , " we might as well get going . " With that , the three exited the office with Guni bringing

up the rear . No sooner had they arrived at this particular scene than a small crowd was beginning to gather .

" This looks bad , " Yayoi said .

Soon enough , the police were clearing the area . The three of them watched the remains of a dog , realizing

that this was not the first time an animal was found thus . None of the three said anything so far but it was

clear that they were all disturbed by this turn of events .

" No doubt about it , " Shido said , " I ' ll bet a nightbreed did this . Right , Riho ? "

The vampire girl nodded . She then said , " Indeed . "

" I see , " Yayoi replied . " But why would a nightbreeed do something like this ? "

" Maybe it was hungry , " Guni replied , causing the other three to give her a dirty look . Her only response

was , " What ? "

Shido looked around . However there was not much in the way of clues .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was dusk at the park . Shido had gone for a walk after sunset . It was there that he saw Riho . She soon

noticed him .

" Shido ? " She asked . " What brings you here ? "

Shido then replied , " You know , I could ask the same thing of you . But to answer your question , I was going

for a walk . "

The two of them then noticed a small figure walking up to them . Riho recognized the new arrival , a boy no older

than eight .

" Hello , miss . "

" Hello there , Shinji ," she said .Then she turned to her lavender haired companion and said , " Shido , this is

Shinji . He was the one who asked me to take care of the kitten . "

The boy said quietly , " May I please have my kitten back , miss ? "

Shido and Riho stared at each other , wondering about what they heard . Riho then asked , " What about your

mother ? Won ' t she try to take it away from you ? "

" Don ' t worry about her . I just miss my kitten , that ' s all . "

" You do,huh ? " Shido asked , to which Shinji replied , " Yes , sir . "

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following night , after the kitten was returned to Shinji , Riho was roaming when she noticed someone not

far away . After Guni emrged from Riho ' s ponytail , the imp asked , " Who ' s that ? " The vampire girl replied ,

" That 's Shinji ' s mother . She seems to be carrying a box . "

Soon Riho and Guni had followed the woman to a clearing . She then released a certain feline from the box ,

something which puzzled the two of them . Afterwards , at the office , they explained the whole thing to Shido

and Yayoi .

" You don ' t suppose Shinji ' s mom was invloved in this , do you ? " Shido asked . Then Yayoi said , " She ' s got

to be the ' breed . "

" If she is , " Guni said , " we ' ve got our work cut out for us . "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The four of them had managed to follow the woman to an apartment building . She had just entered her apartment

when Yayoi called out , " Hold it right there ! "

No sooner had they entered the apartment than Riho noticed something in a nearby room which had its door

slightly open . While Riho entered the room , the woman turned to Yayoi and said , " What are you talking about ? "

" We know about the dead animals , " Yayoi said , " and we know a nightbreed was responsible . Are you that . . ."

Suddenly a downcast Riho emerged and said solemnly , " No , she's not . "

" What are you talking about ? " Shido asked . The vampire girl replied , " I can ' t believe I didn ' t see it before . "

Soon all of them went into the room , where the distraught , sobbing mother rushed and embraced Shinji who was

devouring an animal carcass with a strange look in his eyes .

" Shinji . . . must have died some time ago and a nightbreed took over his corpse , " Riho said quietly . Shido then

replied , " Man , I knew this was a sick case but I never thought it could be this sick . "

The four of them watched quietly for a long time as the mother cradled her ' breed - possessed child .


	19. Missing Grandfather

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To JupiterLover : Thank you .

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MISSING GRANDFATHER

Shido had noticed a rather contemplative Riho staring at the office window .

He then asked , " Is something the matter ? "

" I ' ve been thinking about what has happened recently , " Riho said . " First that child who turned out to

be a vampire . Then Shinji , who was possessed by a nightbreed . I should have realized what they really

were , but . . . "

" I don't know what to say , except , " Shido replied , " I guess just because you ' ve lived longer than any

human doesn ' t mean you can ' t be surprised . I don ' t know if I could have done any better if I was in your

place . " Then , after an embarrassed chuckle , he said , " That didn ' t come out right . Look , what I ' m

trying to say is . . . "

Then , to Shido ' s surprise , Riho put her finger to his lips . She was smiling slightly .

" There 's no need , " she said , " I realize that you want to cheer me up and I appreciate it . "

Shido was rather speechless .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next evening the two vampires had gone to Ginza to buy dishes for Yayoi . As they were walking

down the street , a young woman with dark brown hair crashed into them , causing their package to fall.

" Sorry about that , " she said . " Please accept my apologies . Here ' s my name and adress in case

you want me to pay for any damages . "

With that , the young woman dashed off , leaving both Shido and Riho puzzled .

" Er . . . are you okay ? " Shido asked to which Riho replied , " I guess so , but she seemed to be

so hasty . If I didn ' t know better , I ' d say she was quite rude . "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the office , the two vampires were dismayed when they saw that the dishes had been broken

when they fell .

" I , er , don ' t suppose there ' s any point to gluing these , now is there ? " Shido asked .

Riho sighed a little before replying , " After all we went through to purchase these . Why was that

woman in a hurry ? "

Just then Guni showed up exclaiming , " I don ' t know why you guys bothered to buy dishes in

the first place . I mean , it 's not like you two would lap up blood from them . "

" They were for a friend of Yayoi ' s , " Riho replied , " a gift . "

" Didn 't she leave her name and adress ? " Guni asked .

The vampire girl then replied , " So she did . According to this , her name is Asami Akiba and she

lives in Seijo . "

" Seijo , huh ? " Shido asked . Then Guni blurted out , " Hey isn ' t that where all those wealthy

folks live ? Looks like a bonafide jackpot to me ! "

" Hmmm . . . well , it has been rather slow since our last case , " Shido said , " maybe I ought to deal

with this . "

" Are you really sure about this , Shido ? " Guni asked . " Hey , I happen to be the detective

here , Guni . I think I can handle this myself . " He then turned to Riho and said , " Don ' t worry about

me , Riho . If I need your help with anything , I ' ll let you know , okay ? "

" Just take care of yourself , Shido . "

-------------------------------------------------------------

Asami Akiba heard a knocking at her door . She had been uneasy since she saw her grandfather ,

whom she was sure was dead , walking around . When she went to the door and opened it she saw a

certain lavender haired detective .

" May I come in ? " He asked . " My name is Shido Tatsuhiko and I ' m a private detective . I believe

we met the other evening when you bumped into my partner and me . "

" Oh , I remember , " Asami said . " Please come in . "

Soon enough , Shido discussed compensation with Asami . Neither of them were aware that they were

being watched .

" I hope this check will cover all damages , sir ? " Asami asked . Shido found it quite satisfactory .

Then Asami asked , " Would you mind if I hired you for a job ? " Then Shido asked , " A job ? "

" Yes . You see , my grandfather had . . . disappeared a few days ago . I thought I saw him the

other night and went after him . That ' s when I bumped into you two .I wound up losing sight of

him . Please , you must help me find him . " Asami then gave Shido a picture of her grandfather .

From the top of the stairs , a brown haired man watched them converse with suspicion . His name

was Koichi Akiba . He was Asami 's brother . A few nights ago , he , Asami and their mother had

arranged for Koichi and Asami ' s grandfather to suffer a fatal heart attack in order to gain his

inheritance . Not long after that , Shuzo Akiba had vanished , which seemed rather impossible . Now

Asami was hiring a detective ?

---------------------------------------------------------

Shido had left the house . While it was true that missing person cases was not something he usually

did , he figured a job was a job . Besides , her check seemed good . It was then that a certain vampire

girl showed up .

" Riho ? " He asked . " Did you follow me ? " She then replied , " I wanted to check up on you . How

did it go ? "

" Believe it or not , " Shido said , " we got ourselves some case . "


	20. A Lost Soul

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Thank you once again , JupiterLover and turtlerad17 , for reviewing as usual .  
Thanks also to you , LadyCresentStar , for your review .  
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A LOST SOUL

" What just happened here , Koichi ? " A woman asked not long after Shido left the house .

Her name was Miharu Akiba and she was Asami and Koichi ' s mother as well as the late

Shuzo Akiba 's daughter-in-law . She and Koichi , along with Asami , had arranged for Shuzo

to die of a heart attack , but after the deed was done , Shuzo had walked away .

" Well , mother , " Koichi said , " Asami hired some private detective to look for the old man . "

" Perhaps she seemed concerned . "

" Guess again , " Koichi said , " I saw her yesterday in Ginza chasing after him . "

" And she didn ' t tell us about it ? Why ? " Mrs . Akiba asked .

" Maybe she wants to cut a deal or something in order to claim the old coot ' s inheritance

for herself , leaving the two of us with zilch . " That made Mrs . Akiba angry .

" After all we did to make sure we'd get his money , for Asami to do this to me , her own mother . . . "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next day at Shido ' s office ,Yayoi looked with dismay at what was left of the plates .

" They all got shattered ? " She asked . " I regret what happened , Yayoi , " Riho replied , " at least

Shido managed to get that woman to pay for them . "

" Not only that , " Shido said , "I also wound up getting a missing person case in the bargain . Just the same ,

maybe I could have done something to prevent the whole plate shattering thing . "

"Well , " Guni interrupted , " about time a case fell on your lap , Shido . "

" Did you say a missing person ? " Yayoi asked .

" Yeah , " Shido said , " apparently Ms . Akiba ' s grandfather Shuzo had been missing a couple

of nights ago . Here ' s his picture . "

After seeing the picture , Yayoi then said , " That reminds me , the NOS recieved reports of possible

breed activity , you guys . " She then produced a picture of her own . " Wait a minute ! " Shido

exclaimed " Where did you get this ? "

" It was taken not long ago , " Yayoi said , " apparently a nightbreed took over this man ' s body . "

" It must be Ms . Akiba ' s grandfather , " Riho said , " if a breed possessed him . . . "

" Say no more , Riho . We ' ll be needing your help on this one , " Shido said . The vampire

girl nodded in reply .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon the three of them , Guni too , were in Yayoi ' s car . They were checking out the files on the

Akiba family . " So , do who we have ? " Shido asked .

" According to this , " Yayoi said , " Miharu was the wife of Shuzo Akiba ' s son , now dead .

They had two children , a daughter , Asami , and a son , Koichi . Koichi ' s theater company has

been in the red for some time now . "

" Go on , " Riho said .

" Ms . Akiba is a kindergarten teacher . "

" I suppose she ' s a decent sort , " Shido said . Then Yayoi replied , " I wouldn ' t go that far ,

Shido . You see , she was involved in an affair with the father of one of her students . "

Soon enough , after parking , the vampires and the woman had noticed something . That

something was Shuzo Akiba , only he was hardly himself now . The green skinned creature bore

little resemblance to the man in the photo given to Shido by Asami .

" Mr . Akiba has definitely been taken over by a nightbreed , " Riho said as she produced a blood blade .

Then Shido whipped out his gun and said , " I ' ll cover you , Riho . " Then he turned to Yayoi and

said , " Yayoi , you better call Ms . Akiba and tell her we found her grandfather . "

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Asami recieved the call from Yayoi , she went on her car , unaware that she was being

followed by her mother and her brother Koichi in his car . " Don ' t lose her , Koichi , " Mrs . Akiba said .

" I have no intention to , " Koichi replied . Not long afterwards , Asami had arrived to where

the breed was located . She was shocked to see the creature that used to be her grandfather .

" Grandfather ? "

" Not anymore , Ms . Akiba , " Yayoi said , " apprently he died before being taken over by a nightbreed . "

" G - grandfather . . . didn't come back to life ? " Asami asked , much to Yayoi ' s puzzlement while the

two vampires struggled to keep the breed-possessed man ' s rampage under control . Suddenly ,

Koichi ' s car emerged . Koichi drove at such speed that he seemed possessed himself .

" What ' s that ? " A startled Koichi asked .

It was then that the breed - possessed Shuzo Akiba began to lash out at Koichi ' s car . Its passengers

began to scramble out of the vehicle before the creature started to wreck it .

" Mom ? Koichi ? " Asami asked . While Shido got the two of them to safety , Riho managed to reach

Asami ' s grandfather and drew the breed out of him . Soon enough , Shido then asked Asami , "If what

Yayoi told me was true , you knew your grandfather was dead , didn 't you ? "

" I must agree ," Riho added , " would you care to explain ? "

As in answer , Asami went to her grandfather ' s corpse and began to weep . Soon the police would

arrive for the three of them . . .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

" I guess the whole thing was staged in order to gain old man Shuzo ' s inheritance , " Shido said , to which

Riho added , " But they didn ' t expect a nightbreed taking over his body . I suppose greed can make

demons out of people . "

" Tell me about it . Well , Riho , Yayoi , I don 't think there ' s anything more we can do . "

Indeed , for the police had already arrived . . .


	21. Two Sisters

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Lady CresentStar , I appreciate all this . JupiterLover , turtlerad17 , glad to hear from you .  
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TWO SISTERS

It was a quiet early evening at the agency , and Shido saw both Yayoi and Riho discussing

a few things .

"So , Riho , " Shido said , " in all the time we ' ve been together , you never told me how

you and Yayoi met . "

" I haven ' t , have I ? " The vampire girl replied .

Guni listened to all this looking rather bemused . " This oughta be good , " she said .

" That reminds me , " Yayoi interjected , " it ' s almost time . . . "

" Right . So , I could tell you everything on the way ,Shido . That is , if you want to come along . "

" Lead the way . "

--------------------------------------------

A foggy evening at the port . it was deserted except for a young - looking girl who looked

around after disembarking from the ship that brought her to this city .

" This place . . . " she started to say when she heard a voice saying , " You ' re new here , ain'tcha ? "

She saw the source of that voice , a tiny green female with bat like wings . " What exactly are

you supposed to be ? " The girl asked , mildly puzzled .

" An urban fairy bringing joy to folks . "

" You don't seem like a fairy to me , " the girl replied . " I think you ' re more of an imp . "

" Fine . I ' m an imp . Have it your way , little miss bloodsucker . Yeah , I know you ' re

a vampire . Trust me , I can tell . Call me Guni . " Not far away , there was a commotion of

some sort . " It ' s the cops . Somebody must have gotten killed . "

" So it seems , " was the vampire girl ' s reply .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The winged imp had been following the vampire for little more than several hours until at last

they came upon a modest residence .

" Hhhmmm . . . this place seems to be a an inn of some sort . "

" Are you going in ? " Guni asked .

" I might as well . "

No sooner had the young looking vampire come inside than she was greeted by a lovely

looking young woman .

" Oh , " she said , " are you by yourself , miss ? You seem rather young , but if you wish to

stay for a while , please sign the guestbook . "

The girl did so , writing down a name she had chosen at random . Guni , who hid herself

in the vampire ' s ponytail , was puzzled . " Riho Yamazaki ? Is that really your name ? " Guni asked .

" It ' s as good as any , " was the vampire ' s only reply .

As soon as the young woman was satisfied with everything she then said , " Now then , Miss

Yamazaki , may I offer you some tea ? "

" Oh , yes , tea will be fine . " The woman left . Then from her hiding place , Guni

whispered , " I didn ' t know vampires drank tea . "

" I don 't usually drink tea , " Riho whispered back , " but I can pretend . "

" Katsumi ! " A voice called out loudly . " Where are you ? "

" We have a guest , sister . I ' ll be with you in a moment . " The woman called Katsumi

emerged soon enough with tea . " You ' ll have to excuse me . I have to attend to my sister . "

From the top of the stairs another woman emerged . She was dressed exactly like Katsumi ,

but her head was covered in bandages . She glared at Katsumi as she walked up the stairs .

Soon the woman with the bandaged face began to yell at her sister .

" Hey , what ' s with those two ? " Guni whispered in Riho ' s ear , then she replied , " Your

guess is as good as mine , Guni . "

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" I ' m sorry about what happened , " Katsumi said . " I ' m to blame for what happened to

my sister ' s face . It happened when we were children . " Suddenly Katsumi dropped the

pendant she was holding . When Riho picked it up , she noticed the picture within .

" That ' s my fiance , " Katsumi said . " I hope he returns soon . " Riho then replied , " He

seems nice . "

A few hours later , Riho and Guni left the inn to take a walk . They began to discuss the

twins who owned the place .

" The one with the bandaged face sems like a real crab to me , " Guni said . Suddenly a scream

pierced the air .

" Come on , " Riho said as she dashed over to the source of the scream . When she and the

imp arrived , they saw a creature hovering over a fallen female .

" That must be . . . a nightbreed ! "

In less time than it took to tell , the vampire girl bit into her finger to produce a sword made

from her own blood . It was then that her tiny companion discovered something startling .

"Holy . . . ! This gal ' s got no face ! "

" What ? " Riho exclaimed . She then realized that it was the creature who did the vile

deed . But the creature had managed to slip away before Riho could strike it down .

" What do you suppose was that about ? " Guni asked .

" I ' m not sure , " Riho said , " but there was something familiar about it . "


	22. The Other's Face

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Thank you once again , turtlerad17 , Lady CresentStar and JupiterLover for reviewing .

I also want to thank Samurai-Angel and loudmuch14 for doing the same .

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THE OTHER ' S FACE

The following day , the police had practically corddoned off the murder scene and they

were unaware they were being watched from a nearby alley .

" I don ' t suppose you ' re gonna tell the cops about this , Riho ? " Guni asked .

" I doubt they ' d believe a demonic creature did this , " Riho replied . The imp then

said , " Yeah , besides , they'd probably see you as a kid who ' s got no business being

in a police investigation . "

Riho did not answer that one .

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the inn , Katsumi ' s sister was holding a few letters in her hand . She was about

to place a lighted match to them when she heard a voice .

" What do you think you ' re doing ? " Riho asked the woman with the bandaged face .

" That ' s none of your business , little missy . "

" Perhaps , but those letters are meant for your sister , aren ' t they ? "

" So what if they are ? It ' s her fault I'm like this while she retains her beautiful face ! " The

woman exclaimed bitterly . " Never mind that , " Riho exclaimed , " where were you last night ? "

" She was with me all night , " Katsumi said as she walked into the main hall . " I don 't know

what you think she did , but I assure you , whatever happened out there , she was inside the

inn with me when it happened . "

RIho was not sure if Katsumi was telling the truth or not , but she had no alternative but to

accept her expalanation . For the time being at least .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

" It ' s obivous to me , " Guni said , " That lady knows more than she ' s telling . "

" I agree , " Riho replied . " The whole thing does seem suspicious . Clearly one is

covering for the other , for one of them must be involved with that nightbreed . Besides ,

I noticed the smell of blood on them , whch leads me to believe that one of them IS the

breed . Strangely , I noticed that no matter how resentful her sister is for her ruined face ,

no matter how much she slaps her around , Katsumi seems to take it all with patience and love . "

" More than humanly possible , you think ? " Guni asked . " We shall see , " replied the

vampire girl . Later that night , she and the imp had followed Katsumi 's sister to the basement . She

noticed Katsumi ' s pendant in her hand .

" Hey , Riho , " Guni whispered in her ear , " How come she ' s got her sister ' s pendant ? "

" I guess we ' ll have to find out , " Riho replied .

They did not have to wait long . Soon they saw Katsumi ' s sister with a gas lantern

in hand using the pendant to open a door at the wall . In no time at all they followed

her inside . What they saw startled them .

" Faces ! " Guni cried out . " So she ' s the breed ! "

To their surprise , the woman then said , " I . . . I don ' t believe this !

W-Where did these faces come from ? "

It was then that Katsumi showed up with a lighted candleabra . " I . . . I didn ' t

want you , of all people to see this , sister ," she said with a pained expression on her face .

" Then you must be the nightbreed , " Riho said grimly .

" It . . . it ' s all my fault , " Katsumi said . " The fire that ruined her face . All because

I begged to spare her life . I didn ' t care what happened to me as long as my sister was

spared . How was I to know that a demon would answer my prayer by having me

as its host body ? But I did it because . . . I love you ,Yayoi . "

Katsumi ' s candelabara fell to the floor and the room was ablaze . It was then that

Yayoi , the woman with the bandaged face said , " I . . . I now realize . . . it was

wrong of me to despise you for what happened . Katsumi , the fire that killed our parents ,

that ruined my face . . . it wasn 't your fault . It was mine . If I hadn ' t insisted on having

that premature birthday party celebration , this would never have happened . I . . . I was

wrong to blame you all these years . I . . . I ' m sorry , Katsumi . "

Suddenly the nightbreed that resided within Katsumi emerged , saying , " Your sister

wanted to save your life and I wanted her body , so we made a deal . " As the breed spoke ,

Katsumi ' s body changed into a serpentine monstrosity . Then Yayoi called

out , " Release her ! Take me instead ! " Then she wrapped her hands on the creature ' s

neck , but the creature broke free . However , the flames caused the breed to lose its

hold on Katsumi . Suddenly , a blood red lash wrapped itself around the breed ' s neck .

But no sooner had Riho disposed of the breed than Katsumi collapsed .Yayoi rushed to her

side , tearfully begging her to live .

" This house is going down ! " Riho said . " Riho , " Guni called out , " we've gotta get 'em outta here ! "

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The next thing Yayoi knew , she was at a hospital where a doctor was removing the bandages

from her head . What she saw in a mirror in her hand startled her .

" This . . . this is . . . Katsumi ' s face . . . but . . . " It was then that Yayoi saw Katsumi on the

bed , still as death with a cloth over her face . She then realized what had happened .

Suddenly the tears began to flow .

" Oh . . . Katsumi . . . I ' m sorry it took me until now to realize how much you loved me , "

Yayoi sobbed as Riho placed a sympathetic hand on Yayoi ' s shoulder . " At the very last , "

Riho said , " I ' m sure she knew you really loved her as well . "

----------------------------------

" Man , " Shido said as he and Riho watched as Yayoi paid her respects at her sister ' s

tombstone . " I ' ve heard many stories in my time , but this one . . . I don ' t know what to say . "

" It was after this incident that I went to join the NOS , " Yayoi said . Then Riho said , " And

I became her roommate not long afterwards . "

Shido did not know what to say . He found out more about those two than he ever could

have imagined . Yayoi then broke the silence by saying ," Katsumi will always be with me . She ' s

with me even now . "

" Two souls . . . " Riho said , then Shido said , " . . . in one body . I see. "

Soon enough , the threesome walked off into the approaching night .

' I love you , Katsumi . '


	23. Angel or Demon?

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Thanks again , JupiterLover and turtlerad17 . Problem is , I may end up running out of ways

of saying thanks for taking the time to read my fic .

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ANGEL OR DEMON ?  
One particularly cloudy day , Riho was taking a walk . Suddenly , Guni popped her head

out of Riho ' s ponytail and saw several young girls not far away . She then noticed that

one of the girls had a rather unusual pendant around her neck .

" What is it , Guni ? " Riho asked . The imp then replied , " You ' re not gonna believe this ,

but there ' s something odd with one of those girls . To be precise , the pendant on

her neck . "

" What about it ? "

" Unless I ' m mistaken , Riho , I ' d say a breed ' s in it . "

----------------------------------------------------------

Yayoi had entered the office to see Shido pacing about .

" Let me guess , a slow day , huh ? " She asked . Then Shido replied , " Yayoi , you have

quite a flair for the obvious . "

A few minutes later , Guni flew out of Riho ' s ponytail as the two of them entered ,

saying , " You guys won 't believe what we saw a while ago . "

" What ? " Shido asked .

" Guni apparently had noticed a breed hiding in a girl ' s pendant , " Riho said .

" You ' re both sure about this ? " Asked Yayoi .

------------------------------------------------------------

Yuki could not believe her good fortune .

Not long ago , she was rather ignored by her peers and she felt as if nobody could care

if she existed or not . Once she saw a good looking boy . She tried to get to him , but a

car crossed her path . As soon as the car passed , the boy was nowhere in sight .One

day , as she walked home , she noticed something flashing on a grassy field not far away

from where she was . It was a transparent pendant which contained some sort of azure

stone . As soon as Yuki took it home with her , something unexpected happened . What

appeared to her like a lovely looking youth with green hair and small wings materialized

before her .

" A-are . . . are you an . . . angel ? " Yuki asked . He then replied , " I am . . . if you wish

me to be . " He then came closer as if to kiss her .

An angel . Yuki had a real angel at her side , she decided . Since that day , her fortunes

began to improve . She found herself making friends as well as winning jackpots and

prizes . And she owed it all to her angel .

As Yuki walked on after bidding her friends goodbye she was unaware that she was being

watched from afar .

--------------------------------------------------------------

" So that ' s the girl , huh ? " Shido asked . To which Riho replied , " That ' s her , all

right . "

" Maybe I should have a little talk with her , " the detective said . Then Guni popped

out of Riho ' s ponytail and said , "You sure you wanna do that , Shido ? "

" I have to agree with Guni , " Riho replied , " she might not take too kindly to a

stranger approaching her out of the blue like that . "

" Yeah , " Guni said , " especially if the stranger 's old enough to be her dad . "

" You don ' t say ? " Shido said . " If that ' s the case , maybe she'd feel comfortable

speaking with someone her age , huh ? "

After a while , Riho then said , " I suppose I could try speaking to her . "

" And I ' ll be nearby in case you need me , " Shido replied .

------------------------------------------------------------

" Say , Yuki , " said one of Yuki ' s friends , a girl named Hanako , " are you all right ? "

" What do you mean ? "

" Well , you seem a bit pale , " Hanako said .

Yuki shrugged this off , saying , " It ' s nothing . Well , see you tomorrow . "

Soon afterwards , Yuki heard Riho 's voice saying , " Excuse me , but may I have a word

with you ? "

" Who are you ? "

" That doesn ' t matter . But that pendant around your neck . . . " Yuki then asked , " What

about it ? "

" There 's a nightbreed within your pendant , " Riho said , " an evil creature that seeks to

use people like you for its own twisted ends . "

" That ' s not true ! " Yuki exclaimed . " He ' s a beautiful angel who 's brought me nothing

but happiness . You just want to snatch him from me , but I ' ll never let you have him !

He ' s mine and mine alone ! "

With that Yuki ran off . Shido then showed up and said , " Well , that didn't work well . "

Soon the two vampires ran after her , but as soon as Yuki crossed the street , a car

sped through . iho had just barely managed to avoid being hit .

" Riho , are you okay ? "

" I ' m fine , " she said , " But I lost track of the girl . "

" Guess we ' ll have to think of something else , Shido said . 


	24. When Angels Cry

-  
turtlerad17 , thank you once more . And let ' s bid a warm

welcome to our newest reviewer , Sakura Blossom-Cilia-85:P .

So without further ado . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHEN ANGELS CRY

Yayoi entered the office where she saw Shido at his desk and Riho pacing nearby .

" Is there something I should know about ? " Yayoi asked . 

The two vampires then told her about the girl and her pendant . She then said , " Looks

to me like , at the risk of stating the obvious , we have our work cut out for us . "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuki found herself staring at a young boy . She could barely contain her excitement , for

this was the boy she had seen previously . At first , she felt rather nervous speaking to

him , but then she remembered her lucky streak , her happiness which she owed to her

angel .

" Er , excuse me ? "

" Do I know you ? " The boy asked .

" Not really , " Yuki replied . It was then that she noticed the racquet in his hand . He

then said , " I see you noticed this . Well , I ' m on the tennis team . "

" You are ? " Yuki asked . " Tell me more . " Soon the two of them had a pleasant

conversation . That night , as Yuki prepared for bed , her angel appeared to her again .

" I had a wonderful day today , " she said . "I managed to talk to a boy I had my eye on for

so long . "

To her surprise , the angel said , " That boy . . . you mustn ' t see him again . "

" But why ? " Yuki asked .

" He just wants to steal your happiness . You ' re the only one worthy of my gift . No

one else deserves the good fortune I ' ve brought you . "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

One sunny day , Yuki was going out with the young tennis player .

" You look pale , " he said .

It was true . She seemed rather tired and had been for weeks but she ignored all that .

Instead Yuki focused her attention on her present happiness . They walked by a new

building being constructed . Suddenly , a set of iron beams that were being hauled up

fell down , much to the two teens ' alarm .

At a nearby hospital , The tennis player had his arm in a sling and his leg in a cast . Yuki ,

who had miraculously escaped injury , looked at him with worry .

" I ' m . . . I ' m sorry . . . sorry this . . . happened to you . "

" What are you talking about , Yuki ? True , I won ' t be playing tennis for some time ,

but . . . "

Before he could say anything further , Yuki ran off , clearly she was upset by all that had

happened .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night was beginning to fall and Yuki was on the streets , unaware that a certain imp

watched from above . Soon Guni zoomed towards the park where three figures were

waiting .

" She ' s headed this way , guys , " she said , " and she looks awful . "

" I ' ll bet that breed had something to do with that , " said Shido , to which Riho replied ,

" Indeed . We must be ready . " Then Yayoi said , " I ' m with you . "

As Yuki walked on , she was lost in her own turbulent thoughts . She wondered if what

happened to that boy was because of her pendant . She thought about getting rid of it ,

but then she thought doing so would mean going back to being ignored and friendless ,

which was something she could not bear . Besides , didn ' t Yuki ' s angel assure her that

as long as he was with her , happiness was hers ? As Yuki walked on to the park , she saw

three people ahead . She recognized one of them as the girl who she met before .

" That pendant , " Shido said , " you ' d better get rid of it . There ' s a monster within it . "

" No , " Yuki said , " he ' s my angel ! He . . . "

" A mere illusion , nothing more , " said Riho , " a disguise to ensure you ' d fall for that

thing , which is nothing but a hideous monstrosity who doesn ' t really care about you

finding happiness , true happiness . That ugly fiend just wants you dependent on him while

he feeds on your life force . "

At that moment , the angel showed up . " Yuki , " he said , " I can only be your angel if you

have complete faith and trust in me . "

" Don ' t believe him ! " Shido shouted . " He ' s the one who caused that boy ' s injury ! "

" What ? " Yuki asked , Shocked by what she heard , she grasped the pendant , snapping it

off . As the pendant fell to the ground , the 'angel' changed into its true hideous form ,

much to Yuki ' s alarm . " Stay away ! " She cried out . " You tricked me ! "

" Yuki , " the breed said , " you should know better than to judge by appearance . You

humans lump any being as either angels or demons . How arrogant . "

Shido and Yayoi both fired upon it while Riho created a spear from her blood . She then

threw the spear at the breed , who then changed back into Yuki ' s angel after falling to

the ground . The breed/angel began to weep .

" Yuki . . . "

After bursting into flames , the breed was no more . Yayoi went to help up Yuki , who

was not at all happy about what just happened .

" I ' ll take her home , " Yayoi said .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

" That girl was taken by that breed because of a lovely appearance , " Riho mused aloud .

" I have to wonder . . . am I any different from that thing ? Am I an angel or a demon ? "

Shido , who had walked by her side , put his hand on her shoulder and said with a warm

smile, " I ' d say that since you look quite pretty , you ' re quite an angel . "

" Shido , you can be quite a flatterer , " was her only reply . 


	25. Night of the Witch

------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Thank you , turtlerad17 , Samurai Angel and Melee Master 1 .

------------------------------------------------------------------------

NIGHT OF THE WITCH

" Are you guys all right ? " Yayoi called out from the rooftop of a building .

Several minutes before , she , along with Shido , Riho and Guni , had cornered a woman

who had been possessed by a nightbreed and was holding her ex - fiance prisoner . Then

the woman began to struggle to reassert her personality . After releasing her hold on her

former lover , the breed-possessed woman stumbled to the edge of the roof and fell . It

was then that Riho jumped after her , with Shido following . The vampire girl had managed

to suck out the breed from the woman before landing on her feet . Shido had landed

not far from the two females .

" Is she . . . ? " The detective asked , to which Riho replied , " She ' ll be fine . " After she

disposed of the breed , the two of them heard Yayoi calling out from the rooftop .

A few minutes later , Riho was deep in thought .

' I recall , ' she thought , ' something . . . not unlike this . . . '

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

One night in a small european country , many , many years ago .

A young girl with brown hair had wandered into a small village . She began to notice how

deserted it was . Suddenly she noticed a small house not far away . Within that house she

saw a woman seated in a chair by the fireplace . A portrait of a man with black hair and a

fine moustache was above the fireplace . She had noticed the woman was blind .

" Please come in , whoever you are , " the woman said . Then the girl replied , " I noticed

that portrait as I entered . "

" That is my beloved Schuvek , " the woman answered . " He left long ago to fight in a war

but he swore he would return to me ."

" What happened here ? " The girl asked , to which the woman replied , " Everyone in town

died of an epidemic . I alone survived . "

A few hours later , the girl was in a small cabin not far from the ghost town . She was

preparing to rest when she heard a familiar and unwelcome voice saying , " I have found

you , my love . " She then saw the source of that voice . " Cain ? " She asked . " What

are you doing here ? "

" Do you know what that woman really is ? " Cain said . " She is a witch possessed by a

nightbreed , and if I were you , I would have killed her by now . "

" Well , you are not me , " she replied , " I will not kill innocent people . "

Several minutes later , the girl saw the truth of his words as she witnessed the breed possessed

woman prowl the deserted streets . Not long afterwards , the girl had the portrait of Schuvek

in her hands , knowing the woman would be searching frantically for it , which she did .

" Where is he ? " She called out . " Where is my Schuvek ? "

" I have his portrait , " the vampire girl called out , " you must free yourself from that breed

within you if you want it back ! "

To the girl ' s surprise , the breed possessed woman had no sooner clutched the portrait

than Cain had struck her with a whip made from his blood . " Stop it , Cain ! " She exclaimed .

The next thing the girl knew , Cain had whipped her too . Soon she lost consciousness .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the girl awoke , Cain was caressing her face .

" Forgive me , my love , " he said , " but I had to disicpline you . " She then pulled away . Cain

offered her a champagne glass filled with blood . Where it came from , she did not know nor

care , for she knocked it away .

" I don ' t want anything from you , Cain , " she said . If Cain was hurt by her comments , he

gave no sign of it . Instead he replied , " If you wish to know the truth about what that woman

has done , there is a cavern under a huge tree not far from this town . You will find the

answer there . "

Soon the vampire girl found herself in front of a grim looking cavern . After entering , she

noticed something in the gloom ahead . She gasped as she saw people frozen to death within

blocks of ice . She then realized those were the people of the village . She then saw one

in particular she thought looked familiar . As the girl used the lighted candle she brought with

her , she recognized the face from the portrait . It was indeed Schuvek . Suddenly , she saw

the breed-possessed woman consume one of the victims .

" You told me the people had died of an epidemic , " the girl said as she confronted the breed ,

" but it was you who killed them . Why ? "

" I . . . " the breed/witch stammered , " I - I waited so long for my beloved Schuvek , I grew old .

I wanted Schuvek to see me as his beautiful bride-to-be . I sold my soul for beauty . "

" So you allowed the breed to possess you , " the girl said , " and went around killing those

people , including your beloved . "

" Impossible ! "

" See for yourself ! " The young vampire exclaimed as she showed the breed the remains of

her dead lover , encased in ice . " That can 't be ! My Schuvek Is still fighting to be worthy

of me ! That is not Schuvek ! "

The breed/witch flew into a rage as she and the vampire girl left the cavern . After several

minutes of struggling , the two found themselves at the edge of a cliff . There , after the

girl struck the breed with her bloodsword , the woman she used to be drove the blade deeper

into her body , much to the girl ' s shock . " T - thank . . . thank . . . you for freeing . . .

me . . . " she gasped before expiring , falling down the edge as she did . The young vampire

began to realize that the woman had taken out her eyesight so she would not gaze at what

she had done . After burning the cabin and Schuvek ' s picture , Cain faced her again .

" You wanted her dead , " she said grimly , " now she is . In the future , it would be better if

our paths never crossed again . "

She could feel his gaze behind her , but she wanted nothing with him . Instead she moved

on .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

At the airport , the woman had just given her thanks to Shido , Riho and Yayoi for helping her

deal with the fact that her former fiance was marrrying her sister , which was how she herself

got involved with the breed in the first place . Soon she got aboard the plane .

" I ' m glad she managed to be released from that breed , " Riho said , " perhaps . . . "

" Perhaps what ? " Shido asked .

" Oh nothing . I was just thinking of someone I met a long time ago . "

" Riho , is there something you ' re not telling me ? "

The vampire girl merely smiled slightly , leaving Shido even more puzzled .


	26. Dark Eternity : Prelude to Tragedy

-  
Thank you,Samurai Angel . And thanks also go to my most

consistent reviewer , turtlerad17 , for sticking with this fic

of mine .  
-

DARK ETERNITY : PRELUDE TO TRAGEDY

It rained hard at the cemetery .

Shido stood in front of one particular tombstone , which read

" Tatsuhiko Family " .

" Hi , mom . . . sis . . . " he said . Then , after a short pause , he added , " You too , dad . "

While the rain came down , Shido clenched his fists which began to shake slightly . Then

he said , " Dad . . . there was nothing I could do for you . But , mom , sis . . . I should have

been there for you . . . I . . . I . . . "

Before long , he tilted his face upwards and raised his fists . Soon he began to scream as

he slammed his fists on the tombstone . After hitting the gravemarker , he began to pant ,

unaware of someone behind him .

" I thought I ' d find you here , " Riho said quietly . The detective turned and said , " Oh , it 's

you . " As he showed the tombstone to her , she saw that his face was damp , but it was hard

to tell which was rainwater and which was tears .

" My whole family is buried here . My dad fell ill a few months after my sister was born . Once

he died , I became the man of the house . Some man of the house I turned out to be . "

Riho then saw in his face a hollow , empty look . The look of a man who had lost everything .

She then realized that Shido 's loss of his mother and sister had been gnawing at him . His

usual happy go lucky attitude was a facade to hide the guilt he had felt for surviving while

his family perished at the hands of a nightbreed .All she could at this point was to try to

support and comfort him somehow .

-

At the office , Shido sat at his desk and began to watch a videotape on the television . A

woman who seemed to be in her forties and a young girl who was no more than thirteen

were at the beach .

"Big brother , what are you doing ? " The blonde-haired girl asked when she noticed the

camera .

" Here they are , " Shido ' s voice was heard , for he was the one who held the camera , " my

two favorite ladies in the whole wide world . "

" Honestly , Shido , " his mother said , " don ' t you think you ' re making too much out of

all this ? "

" Yeah , big brother , " his sister replied , " c'mon! "

Shido had set the video camera down so it would tape him , his mother and sister together .

Soon the three of them were enjoying themselves . As Shido watched himself and his family

on tape , he was unaware that Riho had entered the office .

" I imagine it ' s been a slow night , " she said .

" Yeah , " the detective replied after turning off the tv and vcr , " haven't recieved any

calls . What about you , Riho ? Have you found any breeds ? "

" Nothing , " she answered , " it ' s been quiet , actually . Say , how about if I make some

coffee ? You and I could use the aroma . "

" I get it . Aromatherapy . "

Soon the smell of coffee was in the air as the two vampires sat down on the couch . Nearby ,

Guni was snoring .

" Shido , do you ever regret the fact that I turned you into a vampire ? " Riho asked . He then

replied , " Well , I do miss being able to spend my days in the sunshine and the taste of

coffee , I guess . But I can't afford to have any regrets . "

After a silent pause , Shido then asked , " What about you ? Do you miss being human ?I

mean , when you were human , surely you must have been close to your family or had

friends . " Then Riho replied , " To be honest , Shido , I ' ve been a vampire for so long , I can

hardly recall my old life . "

" I see . So , do you ever wonder about this relationship we ' ve got ? "

" Relationship ? " She asked .

" Yeah . What do you think you and I are ? "

" Well , I guess in one sense , since I was responsible for your new life , I ' m like a mother

to you . "

" Well , you make one heck of a young looking mother , I can tell you that ."

" And in another sense , " she resumed , " we happen to be like brothers in arms . "

" Is that a fact ? " A puzzled Shido asked in reply .

" Why do you ask ? "

" Just curious , Riho , that 's all . "

Riho began to ponder about Shido asking her about their relationship . She was unsure about

what kind of answer to give him . Her existence since becoming a vampire was a series of

meetings and partings . When she first met Shido , she realized that they would have had to

part ways eventually . True , she did not anticipate his becoming a vampire himself , but . . . 

" Uh . . . are you okay? " Shido asked .

The vampire girl was quiet for a few minutes . Suddenly just as she was about to speak , Yayoi

burst in .

" We ' ve got a problem , people , " she said .

" What is it , Yayoi ? " Riho asked .

" There ' s been a disturbance at the cemetery , " Yayoi said , " it ' s a nightbreed , without

a doubt . Two of them in fact . "

Soon the three of them , with Guni tagging along , were on their way . Shido , however , had

a bad feeling about this particular development . 


	27. Dark Eternity : A Sorry Parting

-  
Sorry for the delay . I was offline for a few days .

Jovian She Wolf , thank you .  
-

DARK ETERNITY : A SORRY PARTING

At the cemetery , the authorities had the exits blocked . Soon Shido , Riho and Yayoi , to

say nothing of Guni , had arrived . As they looked around , they realized the breeds were

nowhere to be seen .

" We ' ll have to split up , " Yayoi said .

Shido then asked , " Are you sure ? " To which Riho replied , " I see no other alternative . If

any of us were to find the breeds , keep an eye on them until the other two show up ."

Soon enough , the three went off . Not more than a few minutes later , Shido was the first

to find them . One was eel - like and grey , the other was a disk like purple slime with four

spider legs and ominous looking red glowing eyes . No sooner had Shido whipped out

his gun than they had noticed him . The eel began to speak in a low slurred voice .

" Shhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidddddddddddddddoooo . . . . . . "

As for the slime disk with the spider legs , it also spoke in a slurred voice :

" Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggg bbrrrrrrrrrooooooooootttttttttttthhhhhhhheeerrrrrr . . . . . "

Shido could not believe his ears . Those two breeds knew him somehow . Then he realized

that it was his own mother and sister facing him . A stunned Shido tried to hold his gun

as steady as he could , but . . .

" I . . . " he said quietly . " I can ' t . . . I can ' t fire on my own . . . mother and sister . . . "

He then dropped the gun to the ground . " I . . . just . . . can ' t . . . "

Suddenly the eel breed that used to be Shido ' s mother was struck down by a bloodblade .

Shido himself was startled to see Riho standing by the breed ' s flaming remains while Yayoi

and Guni joined her .

" What . . . what are you doing ? "

" This isn ' t your family , Shido ! " Riho exclaimed . " Those are nightbreeds that have

possessed their corpses ! They 've become the walking dead ! "

It was then that the slime spider that used to be Shido ' s little sister lunged itself at Riho ,

who evaded its attack before striking at it with her blood sword .

" Biiiiigggggggg brotttttttttthhhhhhhhhheeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr . . . " was the last thing it uttered

before bursting in flames . As a stunned Shido feel to his knees , all he could do was stare

in mute shock .

-

Afterwards at the office , Shido brooded grimly at his desk with his eyes shut . Riho , Yayoi

and Guni watched for quite a long time . Then , after several minutes of an uneasy silence ,

Shido opened his eyes . He was frowning .

" I quit . "

Yayoi and Guni were startled to hear him say that . As for Riho , she tried to remain composed

about this development .

" Whoa , Shido , " Guni said , " what do you mean you quit ? "

" You heard me , " he continued , " I ' ve had enough of all this . I ' m leaving. "

" You can't just leave like that , " Guni exclaimed . " Riho , say something ! "

" There 's nothing I could say , " the vampire girl said quietly , " that would make him change

his mind . "

Shido was at the door when he turned and said , " That ' s an understatement . They

remembered me . . . "

" We had to make them come to terms with their death . "

" There had to be another way . Or didn ' t you seek hard enough ? "

" There was no other way , " Riho said .

" I don ' t believe this , " an exasperated Shido said , " you think just because you ' re a

vampire that human laws don ' t apply to you . Is that it , little miss avenging angel of the

night ? "

Silence .

" I thought as much . "

" Shido , " Yayoi said , " I don 't think you understand . . . "

Shido then replied , " I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay ? " Then , after opening

the office door , he then said , " I ' m out of here . "

" One question , " Riho said qietly , " without Yayoi to offer blood , how will you survive ? "

"That should be the least of your concerns ," Shido said with an ominously grim tone . " I ' ll

find a way . . . somehow . "

And with that , he left .

" How do you like that ? " Guni asked in exasperation . " The guy barely knows the first thing

about being a vampire and he just ups and leaves ? "

" He's a big boy , " Yayoi said , " it ' s his decision to leave , I guess . I find it odd that you

didn ' t try to stop him , Riho . "

" I expected the two of us to part ways , Yayoi , " Riho said , "people tend to meet then they

tend to leave . It ' s been my experience , I ' m afraid . Still . . . "

" I understand , " Yayoi replied . " Just the same , I ' ve got a bad feeling about this . "

" You ' ve got a bad feeling about anything , " Guni replied , " But I see what you mean . "

Silence fell upon the three females in the office . 


	28. Dark Eternity : Madness Unleashed

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Thank you for replying , turtlerad17 . I appreciate your reviews . 

The same goes for you , Jovian She-Wolf .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DARK ETERNITY : MADNESS UNLEASHED

Many weeks had passed and not a single word from Shido .

In his absence , Riho , with Guni ' s help , tended to the office . Whenever anyone called

for Shido , her only reply was that he was 'unavailable' at this time .

One night , Yayoi had barged in .

" Yayoi ? " Riho asked . " Is something the matter ? "

" You might say that , " was Yayoi ' s reply . " there have been several murders in the last

few days . All the victims had their blood drained . "

" Drained ? " Riho asked .

Yayoi then proceeded to describe that on the necks of each victim there were two

punctures . Riho did not exactly care for the direction this information was going .

" Are you suggesting a vampire did this , Yayoi ? " Riho asked again .

" It seems that way , " said Yayoi , "and I hate to say this , but it looks like Shido could be

our most likely suspect . "

" I can ' t believe that , Yayoi . It isn't like Shido to do this . "

" Perhaps I should tell you that the last three victims were last seen with a man with lavender

hair . "

" Lavender hair ? " Guni asked .

Then Riho said , " That still doesn ' t prove that it was Shido who killed those people . "

" You have a point , Riho . Still . . . "

Guni then said ," You have to admit , though , there aren't many vampires with lavender hair

around . I ' m just saying , you ' ve gotta consider that possibility . "

" I do , " Riho said quietly .

A few nights later , Riho was walking through the city with Guni by her side .

" Riho , " Guni whispered , " if it turns out Shido really did drain those people 's blood , are

you going to kill him ? "

" I have been a lot of things in my existence , Guni , but one thing I am not is a heartless

executioner . It ' s true I ' ve dispatched many breeds before , but this . . . this is different . "

" Then ? "

" Wherever Shido is , he can do whatever he wants as long as he ' s nowhere near here . "

" I see . "

As the vampire girl and her impish companion walked on , they saw someone ahead of

them .

" Is that . . . Shido ? " Guni asked .

" It looks like him , " Riho replied , " but . . . "

" What do you mean , but ? "

The face was familiar , but little else about him was . He was clad in a long black jacket , pants

and boots as well a dark grey shirt . His once long hair was neatly trimmed and he also had a

slightly nasty look on his face .

" I hear you ' ve been looking for me , " he said . " Took you long enough . "

" Shido . . . did you . . . did you really kill those people ? " Riho asked . In her heart , she

dreaded the answer . Her dread was justified when she heard Shido reply , " Guilty as

charged ." He half-smiled when he said that , but it was a half-smile without any joy .

" Well , what did you expect ? I was hungry , so I had to feed . I did feel a little sorry for them .

After all , " he then smirked slightly, " it was their bad luck to run into me , otherwise they ' d

be alive now . "

" Please , don ' t do anything you might regret . Let ' s go back ," Riho said as she came

closer , but before she could do so , Shido thrust out his arm to stop her in her tracks . He was

scowling and his already golden eyes blazed with fury .

" What makes you think I want to return ? " He asked in a tone of barely supressed anger , an

anger that nothing seemed to quell.

" After all I ' ve gone through , there 's no way things will ever be like they used to .Face facts,

the Shido you knew is gone . "

After an uneasy silence , Riho said quietly and grimly , " I can ' t . . . I won ' t allow you to keep

doing this . "

" What are you going to do ? Kill me ? It ' s the only way you ' ll ever stop me , " Shido replied ,

" but you can ' t , can you ? After all , you ' re like a mother to me , remember ? "

Riho found herself speechless .

" Just stay out of my way , " he continued , " for I don ' t plan to stop preying on humans ,

ever ."

Before Riho could do anything , the former detective dashed off and vanished .

" What are we gonna do ? " Guni asked , but Riho had no answer . Instead , she just stared

ahead . She began to wonder how did things get to this point . She realized that the thirst

for blood had driven Shido off the edge . It was clear to her that she had to stop his anger-

driven bloodlust . The question was , could she do so without killing him ?


	29. Dark Eternity : Recalling Pain

  
Fine reviews from turtlerad17 and Jovian She-Wolf (the former JupiterLover.

DARK ETERNITY : RECALLING PAIN

The next day , Riho and Yayoi were discussing the previous night 's events . Yayoi was

quite stunned to hear that it was indeed Shido who had been killing people by drinking

their blood .

" I still can 't believe all this , " Yayoi said , " I mean , who would have thought that Shido

would have had such a chip on his shoulder ? "

" That 's putting it mildly , Yayoi , " Guni said , " I 'm telling you , he 's gone flat out

psycho ! "

" I know , but still . . . "

" I feared this might happen , " Riho said , " that the thirst for blood would push him off

the edge . "

" In any case , " Yayoi said , " we have to find him tonight before he kills again ."

" When we find him , what will we do ? "Guni asked , but Yayoi did not answer . As for

Riho , she was in lost in thought . The previous night , particularly the feral look in

Shido 's face , was still fresh in her mind . She made no secret of the fact that if she

had not made Shido into a vampire , he would have been dead by now . But instead ,

he was a blooddrinking walker in the night like her . The more she thought about this ,

the more she realized her responsability in this situation , but how to deal with it was

not as simple as it seeemed , not to her .

Soon she began to drift off . . .

There were corpses strewn about the enormous bedchamber , all drained of blood . The

only ones who were standing were the vampire called Cain and the young girl (Riho) he

regarded as his bride . Clad in undergarments and stockings , she was struggling to break

free from his grip .

" Let . . . me . . . go ! " She called out . Cain was holding in his other hand a wine cup filled

with a red fluid . . . blood , to be precise .

" Ah , " Cain said , " but you are a vampire as I am . Like me , you must drink human blood ."

He then drew the cup to her mouth and poured the contents . As the blood slid down her

throat , she got out of Cain 's grasp . She tried to spit out the blood , but it was too late . She

then glared at Cain , the one who made her what she was now .

" You think just because you 're a vampire that you 're above everyone ? You 're nothing but

an animal ! A sick , twisted animal who preys on innocent people ! "

" No , " he said , " I am merely one of the chosen . . . and so are you , my little one . "

She was stunned by that comment . To her surprise , Cain began to embrace her tenderly .

He then told her , " You and I are meant to be together . . . forever and ever . " She found

herself barely able to resist him .

Suddenly , she saw visions . . . visions of her long dead parents . . . and of Shido

as he was before . She began to ponder about her immortal existence and was stunned

to realize that she had feelings for Shido . Feelings that she had not articulated . . . until

it was too late .

Soon the visions began to blur , until . . .

" Riho ? " Yayoi asked . " Are you all right ? "

" I . . . I just . . . recalled . . . how Cain was when I was with him , " Riho said , sounding more

than slightly upset .

" What are you talking about ? " Asked Guni .

" He . . . he claimed to love me . . . but I doubt that he ever truly knew the meaning of the

word . He was always going about how vampires were superior to humans and how he was

the lord of all vampires . His arrogance was so unbearable . "

Yayoi and Guni listened . Clearly , the vampire girl was trying to unburden her heart . With

what sucess , it remained to be seen .

" It was then and there that I had decided to leave Cain , but he still thinks of me as his . . .

property . . . " It was at that moment that she began to feel uneasy , as though the events

of the past few nights would undo her composure . She stared at her hands as they began

to twitch .

" What . . . " she said , " what have I done ? Have I . . . have I treated Shido with the same kind

of arrogance Cain treated me with ? If that 's the case , am I any better than Cain ? Am I ? "

Suddenly Guni flew up to Riho and said , " Now let ' s get one thing straight . Shido trusted

you , which is more than you ever did for Cain . After all , didn 't Shido allow you to be with

him even after he found out you were a vampire ? You gotta admit , Riho , you did like being

with him . "

" Guni . . . " Riho said quietly , unsure of what to say next .

" Hey , I ' m just saying , if you 're gonna do something about Shido , you ' d better do it and

soon . "

" I know . "

Yayoi looked on , silently agreeing with the little imp while remaining sympathetic with Riho .

She then noticed the sun was setting .

" It ' ll be night soon , " she said .

As her hands stopped twitching , the vampire then said , " Night . . . we must find him , not

only for his sake , but for that of anyone crossing paths with him . "

Riho understood what she had to do . Just the same , It would not be without cost . She had

to find Shido . . . and stop him somehow . Even if it meant . . .

She did not want to think about it .

" Riho ? " Yayoi asked .

" Let ' s go . "

Within moments , the agent , the vampire girl and the imp went off into the night . 


	30. Dark Eternity : A Doomed Pursuit

  
I offer my apologies if I have dragged this out,but suffice it to say that I found it necessary to do so . Moreover,after the epilogue in the next chapter , there will be a flashback story . 

Afterwards , this fic will conclude with chapter 40 . Turtlerad17, Jovian She Wolf , thank you for your time .

Once again , my apologies .

DARK ETERNITY : A DOOMED PURSUIT

His name was Masaru Inoue , a salaryman who did some overtime at the office .

He was unable to find a taxi so he was forced to walk to his apartment when he bumped into

a man in a black jacket . As Masaru fell to the ground , the man , who in truth was none other

than Shido , glared at him with glowing eyes .

" You . . . " he snarled , " you bumped into me . "

" I . . . I ' m sorry , mister , " Masaru said as he tried to get up , " I didn't mean to . . . "

" I ought to kill you for that . "

" I said I was sorry . "

" You really should watch where you're going , pal , " Shido said as he bared his fangs . " You

never know who you might run into . "

But before Shido could sink his fangs into the hapless salaryman's neck , a bloodred lash

wrapped itself around the vampire's neck .

" Shido , stop this ! " Riho called out , trying to hold the former detective back . " Not you

again ! " He replied .

Yayoi , gun in hand , then exclaimed to Masaru , " Hey , you ! Get out of here ! "

" Lady , you don ' t have to tell me twice ! " With that , the salaryman ran off .

" Just . . . leave . . . me . . . ALONE ! " Shido growled as he snapped off the bloodlash from his

neck . Then he raced off . Guni , who had been floating around , spotted Shido as he made

his way to the nearby docks where he came aboard a ship . The two females managed to

catch up with the imp .

" I guess I don ' t have to tell you guys that he went in there , " Guni said . As soon as they

came aboard , Yayoi then said , " We ' ll have to split up . " Riho then asked , " Are you sure

this is a wise idea ? "

" It ' s the only way , " Yayoi replied . The vampire girl had no other choice but to agree .

Soon they went in separate directions to seek the former detective , but Riho had no desire

to kill Shido , no matter what he did . Meanwhile Guni flew off through a hallway , unaware

that she was being watched .

Yayoi was walking down when she heard Guni cry out . She then ran to the source of the

scream and , within moments , saw Guni in Shido ' s grip .

" Let her go , " Yayoi said , but Shido only glared at her with dilated golden pupils .

" Shido , this can 't be about your family ! Don 't you understand ? You 're not just hurting

yourself , you 're hurting Riho as well ! You pledged to be by her side ! "

Shido then clutched his head as he said , " You don 't understand . . . when I was a man , I

knew who and what I was , how things were supposed to be . . . now everything ' s been

turned upside down . . . I . . . I 'm losing my mind . . . and the worst part is . . . I . . . no . . .

longer . . . CARE ! "

Guni then said ," That ' s still no excuse for you to go around killing people . I mean , that ' s

not like you . . . " Suddenly , Shido glared at the imp in his hand , saying , " You know , I 've

had just about enough out of you , you little pipsqueak ! " With that , he threw her to the ship 's

deck , then squashed her with his foot . Yayoi reeled at this .

" Shido . . . what . . .have you . . . " But before Yayoi could finish , a bloodred lash wrapped

itself around her body , a lash that Shido had produced along with a sword made of his

blood .

" Surprised ? " Shido asked with a nasty look on his face . " If she can do it , I can do it . "

Then Shido yanked Yayoi towards him and thrust his bloodsword through her chest . A

minute or so later , Riho had managed to slice away the locked gate barring her path . No

sooner had she arrived than she dropped her blade when she saw this dismal sight : Yayoi 's

corpse , the green smear that used to be Guni and Shido standing over them both . It was

then that tears began to streak Riho 's face . Tears that she could not stop .

" Shido . . . " she said quietly , " What happened . . . what happened to you ? "

" What do you mean ? " Shido asked incredously . " Nothing happened to me . "

" No . The Shido Tatsuhiko I knew would never have done all this . . . please . . . I . . . I ' m

begging you to come back to me . "

After a tense moment , Shido threw his blade at Riho , which she managed to avoid .

" If you think I want eternity . . . you ' re WRONG ! "

He then bit both index fingers to produce two short blades from his own blood . Riho for her

part produced her own blood sword . The two vampires then charged towards each other .

His face was a snarling mask of rage .

Her face was a tear-streaked mask of grief .

Riho finally struck Shido down , thrusting her sword through his chest. She then embraced

his dying body and began to sob .


	31. Dark Eternity : Epilogue

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Thank you ,turtlerad17 . And now . . .

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DARK ETERNITY : EPILOGUE

" Riho , are you okay ? " Shido asked .

Riho could not believe her eyes . Shido , Yayoi and Guni were with her at Shido 's office ,

all alive and well . Shido 's hair was as long as she remembered it . She had a look of shock

on her young face as she backed into a corner .

" What 's with her ? "Guni asked .

Riho could not understand what had happened . She had seen Shido go bad . She saw him

kill Guni and Yayoi . She recalled the tears she shed over their demise and her striking Shido

down . She could scarcely believe that all that was an illusion . Shido in the meantime was

scratching his head wondering what was going through her mind .

" Something wierd 's going on , that 's for sure , " he said . Yayoi then stepped forward and

said , " I ' ll bet what she needs is a little pick me up , if you know what I mean . "

Shido knew what she meant all right . He then said , " Somehow . . . I don 't think that 's

gonna help . "

" How would you know , you big lug ? " Guni asked , to which an exasperated Shido replied ,

" I 'm not talking to you ! " Soon the imp began arguing with the detective .

" I . . . I don 't understand , " an alarmed Riho said to herself . " Was all I saw an illusion ? It

didn 't really happen ? "

Suddenly a not unfamiliar voice was heard saying , " Now you see , my dear . " Everyone

stopped in their tracks at these words . Riho now realized who was responsible for her

vision .

" Cain . I can 't believe you survived . "

Sure enough , the vampire called Cain materialized in front of them . " My little one , my

dear Riho , when you left me you hurt me so . I have shown you what would happen if

the one you care for had left you . Although why would you prefer him over me is beyond

my understanding . "

' The one she cares for ? ' Shido thought , ' Is it me ? '

" Just what kind of game are you playing , Cain ? " Riho asked . " If this is about this Golden

Dawn of yours . . . "

" Hear me out , " Cain said . " This is about you and I . We are meant to be together for

eternity . That is why I made you my bride . " At that moment , Shido took out his gun and

said , " Hold it . I haven 't forgotten that you slashed me . " Cain then turned his attention

to Shido and said , " Ah , the foolish one . You are now a vampire , but you still use a human 's

weapon ? Still , I suppose you can be by my side . "

"What? " Shido asked in disbelief . Yayoi , who had taken out her gun , and Guni , who was

floating aroud , shared similar reactions .

" Do not flatter yourself , fool . I already have a bride . I merely seek a servant as well . You

will do . In time , you will adress me as 'Master' . " Cain suddenly inched closer to Shido who

held his gun as steady as he could , saying , " I . . . I don 't know what you 're up to but I ' d

keep my distance if I were you . "

Cain came closer .

"Keep away . . . "

Beads of perspiration formed on Shido 's forehead .

" Don 't come any closer. . . "

Cain ignored him .

" I ' m warning you . . . "

The distance between Shido and Cain grew shorter .

" NNNOOOOOOOOO ! "Riho out called as she dashed towards Shido and wrapped her arms

around his waist . Needless to say , Shido was rather surprised . Riho then glared at Cain ,

who had stopped in his tracks . Then she said , " Leave him . . . leave us alone , Cain . "

" My dear , " Cain said , " eternity is ours , for that is the nature of vampires . The sooner

you realize that , the better . "

Cain then proceeded to grab Riho by the wrist and kissed her lips , much to the startlement

of all . After a minute or so he released her and said , " I love you , my beautiful Riho . And I

always will ."

With that , Cain vanished without a trace .

" Now that , " Shido said , scratching his head , " was wierd . "

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Some time later . . .

Riho , dressed in a black robe , had let her hair down as she stood by the coffin in the spare

room in Shido 's office . After a while , Shido showed up in a black robe of his own .

" Are you okay ? " He said . " After what happened with Cain . . . "

" Something to deal with another time , " Riho replied . " Let 's talk about something else . Do

you . . . do you have any regrets . . . about . . . "

" I 'm with you and you 're with me . That 's all that matters . Like I said before , if you have to

spend an eternity of exisiting , you might as well have company . I mean , you 've been

lonely for far too long . "

Riho could not deny the truth of Shido 's words . "Nothing really lasts forever , but at least

I ' m glad to have you with me . "

" So , " Shido said , " Is it possible for you and I . . . "

" We have plenty in common , no denying that , " she said with a smile , which puzzled

Shido a bit .

" I suppose . . . you want to sleep with me ? "

" Shortly , " Riho replied , " but first . . . "

Riho then went and locked the door . On the other side , Guni floated around , saying , " How

do you like that ? They locked up . Oh well . . . "

Guni proceeded then to put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doorknob .


	32. An Unforeseen Meeting

-  
As promised , this chapter goes BEYOND the series . I 'd like to thank you for your patience and time , turtlerad17 . Ah , and Rasha12, I 'm glad you liked it .  
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AN UNFORESEEN MEETING

At the office Shido had looked at his caseload , which wasn 't much to speak of . It was then

that he took notice of the calendar at his desk .

" Do you know what today is ? " He asked as Riho and Yayoi showed up . Guni swooped to

him and said , " I suppose you 're gonna tell us ? "

" It just so happens that it 's the anniversary of the day Riho came to work here . "

" Swell , " Guni muttered .

Riho then thought , ' I recall what led up to that day . . . '

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In Yayoi 's apartment , Riho finished getting dressed .

" So , " Yayoi said , " you 're hunting tonight , I take it ? "

" There 's a nightbreed on the loose which I have to track down ," Riho said . Then Yayoi said ,

" Tell me one thing . Is there any reason for you to hunt down breeds ? "

" The same reason you joined the NOS . Obviously , they can't be allowed to prey on human

beings . Besides , I may have become a vampire , but I 'd rather hold on to my humanity and

if that means making sure no human is ever harmed by these monsters . . . "

" I understand , Riho . About this breed you 're seeking ? "

" I saw it slaughter a married couple a few nights ago . I gave chase but it slipped away . "

" Don 't tell me you 're losing your touch , " Guni said as she popped of Riho ' s ponytail , to

which the vampire replied , " That ' ll be quite enough . "

Hours later , as the vampire girl roamed the streets , she heard screams in the distance . She

then followed the screams to their source , a modest apartment building . Suddenly Riho saw

a shambling monstrosity dash away , its claws and face caked with blood . It was a breed that

tried to possess its victims but ended up butchering them instead . She then chased the

creature , whom she recognized as the quarry she had been searching for .

" Oh , no , you don 't ! " She called as she hurled several red droplets like darts at the

monster , striking it enough for her to wound with a blood sword .While the creature got away ,

it would not go far .

Soon enough , Riho saw police and paramedics surrounding the building , among the crowd

a young man with long lavender hair emerged , demanding to know what happened . A

coroner at the scene was with two still forms which had been covered with bloodied sheets .

" My name is Shido Tatsuhiko and I 'm a private investigator , " he said ."This happens to be

my family 's home , I came to visit them ." After a pause , he then said . " Did something

happen ? "

" Excuse me , sir , but do you know who they are ? "

The coroner had Shido lift up a sheet . Shido blanched to see his own mother ' s corpse .

After that , he uncovered the other body which turned out to be that of his younger sister .

Shido was shocked to say the least .

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Afterwards , Riho explained everything to Yayoi , particularly the man she saw .

" Yayoi , " she said , " I may have wounded the breed but it could still be a threat , particularly

to that man whose family it killed . All I ' m suggesting is that he needs watching . "

" I see , " Yayoi replied . " Well , I ' ll see what I can do , okay ? "

The following day , at the funeral for Mrs . Tatsuhiko and her daughter , Yayoi got her first

look at the man Riho had described . He seemed very downcast after seeing his mother and

sister buried along with his father who had died years before of an illness . So much in fact that

a young woman next to him tried to comfort him with little sucess .

" Shido , if there 's anything I can help you with . . . " she said . Shido 's reply was , " I appreciate

it , Rumiko . I really do , but I 'd like to be by myself right now , if you don 't mind . " A few

minutes later , Yayoi stepped up to him .

" Shido Tatsuhiko , " she said , " my name is Yayoi Matsunaga and I 'm with the NOS , an agency

that deals with very unusual cases . In case you 're wondering , we believe that your mother

and sister were killed by someone or something that I 'm not at liberty to discuss about at the

present time . "

" Is that a fact ? "Shido asked . " What exactly do you want with me , Miss Matsunaga ? "

" A kind of proposal , " she said , " a partnership , if you will . One thing . Do you have a

secretary ? "

" Not really , " was his reply . " Why do you ask ? "

" I have a roommate who would make a fine secretary . "

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" Are you sure this is a good idea , Yayoi ? " Riho asked . Yayoi 's reply was , " Well , it ' s a way

to keep an eye on him . "

Soon enough , introductions were made , which did not go at all badly . A couple of days later ,

Riho was making coffee when Guni popped out of her ponytail saying , " Well , he seems to

have gotten over all this . I mean , the guy 's smiling and everything . "

" So it would seem , " was Riho 's reply , " but I 'm not so sure . "

One rainy evening , Shido had left . Moments later , Riho decided to follow him . No sooner had

she been out on the street than she noticed something lurking in a shadowy alley nearby : the

breed that killed Shido 's mother and sister . In an instant , she hurled a blood spear at the breed ,

destroying it in moments . With the breed finally disposed of , the vampire girl followed the

detective to the cemetery .

Shido had slammed his fists on his family 's tombstone . It became clear to Riho that he blamed

himself for not being for his family when they needed him . She then approached him , saying ,

" I thought I ' d find you here . "

" Oh , it 's you , " Shido replied . After showing Riho the family tombstone , he then said , " My

whole family is buried here . My father fell ill a months after my sister was born . Once he died ,

I became man of the house . Some man of the house I turned out to be . "

A few hours after walking back to the office , Riho asked , " Are you going to be all right ? "

A minute or so later , Shido said , " I will be . " Then he gave a slight smile .

Little did those two realize what the future would bring them .

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A pensive Shido stood in the evening air on the rooftop , contemplating the recent past .

' A lot of things sure have happened since Riho came to my life , ' Shido thought . ' I went

through quite a change , but I wouldn ' t have it any other way . '

At that moment Rho and Yayoi came through the door .

" Well , Shido , " Yayoi said , " there 's some sort of disturbance . "

" Are you coming , Shido ? "

He then flashed a smile and said , " You know it . " 


	33. Deadly Bitterness

-  
I apologize for the delay . Here's the latest chapter . Hope you like it .  
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DEADLY BITTERNESS

" According to the NOS , " Yayoi told Shido and Riho one evening at the office , " there 's been

a series of deaths . "

" And the NOS is involved because ? " Shido asked .

" The three of themall collapsed on the spot as though they suffered a fatal heart attack .

Which is odd , because they were all healthy and in their early 20s . "

" In other words , " Riho added , " they were too young to have any health problems , so the

NOS figures that a breed is involved , right ? " Then Shido said , " That 's what I thought as

well . "

" The question remains , " Yayoi continued , " how were they killed ? They didn 't have any

marks on their bodies . "

" That doesn't seem like any breed to kill people without touching their bodies . "

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One evening , the vampires , the agent and the imp were on the park pondering their

next move .

" This is the vicinity where the incidents occurred , " Yayoi said , " so there a possibility that

the breed may be hiding somewhere around here . "

Shido had then noticed that Riho had a rather pensive look on her face . He then wondered

what she was thinking about .Whether it was about this case or something else entirely he

could not be sure .

" Is there . . . is there something I should know about ? " Shido asked the vampire girl . She

then asked in reply , " What do you mean ? "

" Is it about Cain ? "

" What makes you say that , Shido ? "

" He 's still out there , you know , " Shido said . But before anyone could say anything , Guni

noticed something . . . odd .

" Hey , you guys ! " She called out . " I can smell that breed . It ' s nearby ! "

" What ? " Yayoi asked , to which Guni replied , " You heard me ! "

The three looked in the direction that Guni indicated , but it seemed empty . " I don ' t see

anything , " Yayoi said .

" Well I can practically smell breeds , you know , " the imp replied . Riho then said , " If you 're

right , we must be careful . "

All of a sudden , a barely visible mist seemed to blanket the area ahead .

" I don 't suppose it's hiding in the mist ? " Shido asked .

" More likely , " Guni replied , " it IS the mist ! "

" What ? " A surprised Riho asked in disbelief . Without warning , an evil - looking face emerged

on the mist and an inhuman sounding growl was heard .

" Scatter ! " Riho called as she produced a blood blade while Shido and Yayoi whipped out

their guns . Then the 'Evil Mist' snarled at the threesome .

" Whoever you are , " it growled , " you will not stop me ! There are still those left who deserve

to die ! "

" What do you mean ? "Riho asked . But before anyone could receive an answer , the mist breed

dissolved and was nowhere to be seen .

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Back at the office , the trio pondered this whole turn of events .

" I just realized something , " Shido said , " we all assumed that these murders were all random .

What if these victims all had something in common ? "

" What are you getting at , Shido ? " Yayoi asked .

" Here ' s a list of the victims ' names , " Shido replied ," it seems that they all attended the same

high school five years ago . "

" So ? " Guni asked . Then Shido replied ," Suppose there was someone behind that breed ?

Someone with a grudge against those people ? "

" I see what you ' re getting at , " Riho replied , " someone who knew and despised those people

back in high school could be involved with that breed . "

" If that ' s the case , " Yayoi said , " we haven ' t got a moment to lose . " 

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Shido , Riho , Yayoi and Guni were outside a modest apartment building later that night .

" According to the list , " Shido said , " Yoshi Okimura was the victims ' homeroom teacher . He

lives in this apartment . Apparently he was so strict with the students he ended up being

disliked . "

Suddenly , a figure emerged from the building . It was man in his 40s with a rather stern look

on his face . This was Okimura .

" I suppose you 're here about the murders . Well , those disrespectful punks got what they

deserved .They only graduated because of their parents ' influence , so they thought they

could get away with mocking me . "

" So the nightbreed came to you , " Riho said , " and offered you the chance to get even ? Do you

even realize what you did ? "

" How dare you . . . any of you . . . judge me ? " Suddenly his body became mist . Soon the former

Okmura and the vampire girl with her blood sword exchanged blows . Making itself solid enough

to try to hurt Riho enabled her to harm it as well . Shido and Yayoi aimed their guns but couldn 't

get a clear shot . Suddenly Shido , seeing that the mist breed was lunging itself at Riho , dashed

towards it , eyes glowing , biting his finger thus splattering it with several droplets of his blood ,

causing it to wince in pain , enabling Riho to finish it off .

Afterwards , as the trio stood over Okimura 's body , Guni flew up to Shido and asked , " Did you

really do that ? How ? "

" I - I ' m not sure . . . I guess I just . . . reacted . I thought I just . . . had to do something , but I didn 't

expect . . . "

" It 's all right , " Riho said , " I guess pretty soon you ' ll be able to do as well as I have ." Then Shido

replied , " I ' ll tell you one thing , though . I can 't believe Okimura would let himself be consumed by

bitterness . "

" I guess all that 's left is to call the NOS to clean up the mess , " Yayoi said .

This was certainly one unforgettable night as far as Shido was concerned . 


	34. A Shadow on the Edge

Here ' s the newest chapter . Sorry it took so long .

A SHADOW ON THE EDGE

At his desk , Shido stared at his hands . He still could not believe what he did a few nights ago . He

actually managed to use his blood against a nightbreed . He knew he still had a long way to go before

he could be as good as Riho , however , for she had over a century of practice . Up to now , he had

to rely on his gun , even though he was a vampire .

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Elsewhere , the vampire called Cain was pacing about , unaware at first of a presence nearby .

" Well , Cain , " a young female voice said , " I see the centuries have been kind to you . "

Cain turned to see a young girl , garbed in black , who appeared to be ten years old , but the way she

spoke and carried herself about suggested that she was in fact much older than she appeared . In

fact , she was a vampire and apparently she knew Cain quite well indeed .

" And what do you call yourself these days ? " Cain asked . " After all , you have gone by many

names over the centuries . . . "

" Please , " she said , tossing her brown hair , " call me Pandora , for I happen to like it . "

" If you insist . . . Pandora . . . " Cain replied .

After a few minutes of silence, the vampire calling herself Pandora then said , " You seem to have

something in mind , my dear Cain . "

" I always do , " was his reply .

" I assume this has something with your oh - so - precious Golden Dawn ? "

" You might say that , " Cain replied again .

" It also involves a certain . . . someone ? " Pandora asked . Cain then said, " If you must know , I plan

to have my bride by my side . "

" Could this bride of yours be an apparently young girl ? I may have met her not long ago , if that is

the case . "

Cain could not help but smile bemusedly .

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Several nights later , Yayoi was driving , with Riho and Shido as her passengers .

" I assume this breed we ' re looking for . . . " Riho said . Then Yayoi replied , " Yes . This breed has

been stalking people for the past couple of days , according to the NOS . "

" Just stalking ? " Shido asked . " No outright attack ? Sounds odd to me . In any case , I could use the

practice , if you know what I mean ."

" I suppose so , " Riho replied . She was aware that Shido had progressed somewhat . Suddenly all

three took notice of figure ahead of them . After Yayoi stopped the car , they all climbed out and saw

a child whom they recognized as the girl who was with Riho at the bottom of a well . The 'child' who

turned out to be a vampire who had lived for several centuries herself .

" You again ? " Riho asked . " What brings you here ? " As Riho spoke , Shido took out his gun , ready

to support her . Guni then popped out of Riho 's ponytail and floated around .

"What brings me here , you ask ? "The vampire who called herself Pandora queried in reply . "Truth is ,

I was expecting you to come by , my dear young vampire . "

" Just a minute , " Yayoi uttered , "we 're here because of reports of a nightbreed stalking around this

area. "

" Oh , that was no nightbreed . That was me . "

" What ? " An incredulous Shido asked .

" That was to lure her here , " Pandora said , pointing at Riho , who then asked , " What do you want

with me ? "

" Believe it or not , It was Cain who wanted me to deal with you . The dear fellow is rather busy , you

see ."

" Busy with what ? " Riho asked , and Pandora replied , " With the Golden Dawn , of course. "

" Is he still obssessed with that ? " Shido asked .

" And with her , my friend . Cain still sees her as his bride , and I don 't blame him . "

" I am not his bride and I never will be , " Riho replied with no small indignation .

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Elsewhere , Megumi Otsuka was cradling her baby . Outside her home , someone watched , hidden

in shadow .

That someone was Cain .

" Soon . . . " he said to himself .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" To tell you the truth , " Pandora said , " Cain 's plan amuses me , which is why I 'm going along with

it ."

" What plan ? " Riho asked .

" Well , that would be telling , but involves a certain . . . child . "

The three suddenly realized what she meant .

" Megumi 's baby . . . " Shido whispered in disbelief . " Don 't tell me Cain 's after Megumi Otsuka 's

baby . " After a pause , he then said , " Is he ? "

" Well , " Pandora said , " the child IS born of a human and nightbreed . Cain believes this to be the

key to bring about the Golden Dawn . "

Riho then said , " I can 't allow this to happen . "

Suddenly Pandora produced and blood blade and said , " I 'm sorry , my dear , but I can 't allow you

to interefere with this . "

" Listen , you . . . " Yayoi started to speak , but the black garbed , child-like vampire merely glared at

her , saying , " If you must call me anything , call me Pandora . I happen to like that particular name

out of the many I have had in the past . "

" Shido . . . Yayoi . . . " Riho said quietly and solemnly. " There is no other alternative . You two go to

Megumi 's home while I deal with her . " 


	35. A Harsh and Vicious Strike

-  
Thanks for waiting . The newest chapter is here . Here 's hoping you like it .  
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A HARSH AND VICIOUS STRIKE

" You heard me , you two ," Riho said , " Megumi may need your help . "

Shido and Yayoi knew what Riho spoke of . According to the child-like vampire calling herself Pandora ,

Cain was targeting Megumi Otsuka , or more precisely , her baby . A baby born of a nightbreed .

" She 's right , " Yayoi said .

" Go to her home . I ' ll join you as soon as I can . Just . . . be careful , both of you . "

" You too , " Shido replied . Then he said , " Come on , Yayoi . " Guni ,who had been floating around the

whole time , flew up to the vampire girl and said , " If you want , I can keep an eye on them . They may

need me . " Riho 's reply was , "Go ahead, and you be careful too , Guni . "

No sooner had they left than Riho turned her attention to Pandora . The child-like bloodsucker then

said , " You know , it seems a shame that we should fight each other , my dear . "

Riho ' s only reply was , " I can't allow you to go on with this . The fact that you 're going along with

Cain 's scheme just because it amuses you is something I just can 't abide . "

Pandora only smiled .

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As Shido was driving , he said to Yayoi , " I only hope we get to Megumi 's on time . "

When Yayoi didn 't answer him , he then asked , " Is something the matter ?

" Not really , " Yayoi replied , " I was just thinking about what can we do if we do face Cain .

Remember , he 's immune to even silver jacketed bullets . "

" Yeah , " Shido said , " that 's a real problem all right . " He then found himself pondering about Riho .

He did not exactly like the idea of leaving her with the vampire child .

" I know what you 're thinking , pal , " Guni said ,sitting between Yayoi and Shido . " I mean , it doesn 't

take a genius to know you 're worried about Riho . If she can manage it , she 'll be joining us . "

" Guni may have a point , " Yayoi answered . " We ' ve kept tabs on Megumi in case something like

this had happened , so she knows where we 're going . Don 't forget , just because she looks like a

sixteen year old girl doesn 't mean that she is one . After all , she 's survived for over a hundred years

or so . "

" Yeah , there is that . Just the same , I hope Riho 's okay . and I hope Megumi and her baby are okay

too . If that creep Cain ever got to them . . . "

Yayoi realized that Shido still had a grudge towards Cain , but was rather unsure how to deal with this

thing .

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Megumi held her baby in her arms . It was then that she noticed something out of the ordinary outside

her home . As the minutes ticked by , she began to feel uneasy .

" Hello . "

Megumi whirled and was startled to see Cain .

" I have come for your child , " he said .

Megumi could not believe her ears .

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The two female vampires stared at each other silently for several minutes , blood swords drawn . All

of a sudden , Pandora rushed at Riho , who parried the smaller one 's thrust .

" Not bad , my dear ," Pandora said with an omnious smile , " not bad at all . "

The two of them thrust and parried and neither one gained nor gave any ground . Soon Riho was facing

Pandora in a ready stance .

" I must say , you are quite an opponent , my dear , " Pandora said , to which Riho replied , " Am I

supposed to be flattered ? To think , when we were in that well together , I wanted to save you from

that nightbreed . If I had known then that you were a vampire . . . "

" What would you have done ? Would you have acted differently ? "

A rather grim silence sat upon those two . 

" The truth is . . . I don 't know . I do know this : whatever Cain is planning , I won 't allow him to

succeed . And I can 't let you stop me . "

With that , Riho dashed off . Pandora then began to pursue her .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once Shido and Yayoi had arrived , they wasted no time in entering Megumi 's home . They then saw

Cain looming slowly towards Megumi and her baby .

" Hold it right there ! "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riho began to notice Pandora pursuing her . It was then that she made a spear from her blood and

hurled it at Pandora , pinning her by her black dress to a nearby wall .

" We may face each other some other time , " Riho said , " but right now , Shido and Yayoi need me ! "

As Riho sped off , Pandora watched her with interest etched in her face .

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" Well , " Cain said as he turned to Shido and Yayoi , " do the two of you intend to stop me ? "

He then smiled before lunging at them . Guni was flying around but before she could unleash a bolt

at Cain , he swatted her away . Suddenly he sped towards Megumi and snatched her baby from her

arms . Then just before Cain could slash Megumi with his free hand 's nails which he had extended ,

Shido got her out of the way .

" Are you okay ? " Shido asked , to which Megumi replied , " I am , but . . . but , my baby ! "

" The child should be the least of your concerns , " Cain said as he retracted the nails back into his

fingers . Then he produced a spear from his blood which he then threw towards Shido and Megumi .

To the shock of both Shido and Megumi and the irritation of Cain , Yayoi had hurled herself between

her partner and the twisted vampire , resulting in the spear hitting her just below her right shoulder .

" Yayoi ! " Shido screamed as he rushed towards Yayoi who fell down , barely conscious . Cain had

taken his leave with Megumi ' s baby in his arms . Megumi herself began to sob at this turn of events .

" W . . . what . . . what happened ? " Guni asked after recovering . She then was stunned by the scene

which lay before her .

A minute or so later , Riho had just entered Megumi but she was not prepared for what lay before her .

" Shido ! Yayoi ! " She called out . " Where are . . . " She stopped short when she saw a kneeling Shido

who looked rather grim .

" Shido , are you all right ? "

" I am , " Shido replied solemnly , " but I can't say the same for Yayoi , I 'm afraid . "

Riho , needless to say , was stunned . She realized Cain was responsible for what happened to Yayoi

and he suceeded in taking Megumi 's baby as well .Clearly Yayoi needed medical attention but it was

anyone 's guess if she would survive . 


	36. A Fine Line Between Life And Death

-  
Kagome1316 , Akumu Keayo ,thank you for reviewing . Turtlerad17, I 'm just glad to finally hear from you. 

And now , the latest chapter . . .  
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A FINE LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

Yayoi had been hospitalized , for she had lost a lot of blood after being struck down by Cain 's

bloodspear.

The two who were most concerned for her were greeted by a doctor .

" Mr . Tatsuhiko . . . Miss Yamazaki . . . we managed to stop the bleeding . Now , it 's all a matter of

waiting until . . . "

"Until what ? " Riho asked .

" You see , " the doctor resumed , " there 's a 50 percent chance that Miss Matsunaga might pull

through . . . or she might not . Only time will tell whether she lives . . . or dies . "

" I see , " Shido replied . " May . . . may we be with her ? "

" Excuse me ? "

" She 's like family to us , " Riho said .

A minute or so later , the doctor said , " Oh , all right . She 's in room 417 . "

A while later , as they went to Yayoi ' s room , Riho asked , " How is Megumi ? "

" She 's with the NOS . It took her some convincing to be with them , " Shido answered . Then Riho said ,

" I don 't blame her . "

There was a somber mood as the two vampires entered the room . The only sound heard was the slow ,

steady beeping of the monitor . A breathing mask was placed over Yayoi 's mouth and her shoulder

was bandaged .

" If only . . . " Riho said quietly , " if only I had arrived sooner . . . "

" I . . . I understand how you feel . I wish my own abilities had been stronger . . . but what good does it

do us to blame ourselves for what happened to Yayoi ? The only thing we can do now is to be by her

side . "

" I agree . "

Guni popped out of Riho 's ponytail to rest on her shoulder . For once , she did not say anything .

The monitor kept on beeping .

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" W - Where . . . where am . . . am I ? " Yayoi asked herself . She had found herself in a misty grey void .

" What am I doing here ? "

As she moved around , she felt cold . It was then that she noticed someone in the distance . " Who 's

there ? " She asked . There was no reply , so Yayoi moved closer . She stopped as she got a clear

look at the person ahead of her .

" Ka . . . Kasumi . . . "

Yayoi ' s sister simply smiled gently .

" Kasumi . . . " Yayoi said with tears in her eyes , " . . . I missed you so much . "

" You know that I 'm a part of you , " Kasumi replied kindly . The two sisters embraced each other .

Then , after drying her tears , Yayoi asked , " Am . . . am I . . . dead ? "

" Not exactly , " Kasumi replied . " Whether you live or not is entirely up to you . "

" What do you mean ? "

"This isn ' t easy for me to say , but . . . right now you 're between life and death . "

" What ? "

" You 're in a coma , Yayoi , but it's your choice whether or not you come out of it . "

" I see , " Yayoi replied . Then she began to mull over her situation .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two vampires and the imp maintained a silent watch . It was Guni who broke the silence by

asking , " If . . . if Yayoi were to . . . you know . . . die . . . what would happen to you guys ? "

Neither Riho nor Shido had an answer . At least , none that they could voice . Guni then said , " I

suppose she 'd arrange for the NOS to provide you two with the blood you need . . . but then again ,

that's not what concerns you , is it ?"

Again the vampires stared silently at their partner and friend . Guni could not help but feel bad for

her earlier lack of tact .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" This isn 't an easy choice for me to make , " Yayoi said .

" What do you mean ? " A puzzled Kasumi asked .

" I . . . I don 't want to leave you . After all these years I wasted blaming you for my disfigurement ,

which was all my fault to begin with . . . all you did was try to save my life . . . how was I to know that

a nightbreed would possess your body ? In the end , you gave your life , your face and your soul so

that I could live . "

Kasumi remained silent .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Not long after that incident with her sister Kasumi , " Riho said , " I became her roomate . Since I

tended keep to myself when I wasn 't hunting nightbreeds , Yayoi became my link to a humanity I

feared I was losing . Once she knew about the NOS, I realized she would need my support when she

went to join . She worked hard to become a fine agent . "

The vampire girl sighed a bit , then she said , " The first human friend I made in over a century . . .

and now . . . "

She stared at Yayoi ' s still form . Shido realized that her eyes were beginning to well up . She then

said , " I always knew that eventually death would take her . Still , I can 't help but . . . but . . . "

" I know , " Shido replied as he embraced Riho , " I know . I 've grown used to the two of you and I

realize what you're going through ."

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" Whatever you decide , " Kasumi said , " I have always been a part of you and always will be , Yayoi . "

After a somewhat long pause , Yayoi then said , " I 've decided . "

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The monitor began to beep slightly faster . Then the two vampires saw Yaoyi 's eyes open slowly .

She then said , " Y . . . you . . . you . . . kept watch . . . over me . . . ? "

They both shed tears of joy as they realized Yayoi would live . Even though she would spend a

couple of days in a hospital bed , Yayoi was out of danger . Even Guni could help but shed a few

joyful tears of her own .


	37. Edge of the Unknown

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I apologize for the delay . This is it , Chapter 37 . After this there will be three more chapters until the end . I 'd like to thank destructivegoddess-mayhem and amanda yngslayer for reviewing .  
And now , for your reading enjoyment . . .

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THE EDGE OF THE UNKNOWN

The child-like vampire calling herself Pandora awaited Cain 's arrival . She did not have

to wait long .

Cain had arrived with a bundle in his arms and a man of indeterminate age behind him .

The man was in a trance .

"My dear , " Cain started ," just in case you aren 't aware , I made this human my servant .

Once the Golden Dawn has come , he will no longer be of any use and can be easily

disposed of ."

" I see , " Pandora said . "And the child ? "

" The child is in my possession and soon will bring about the new age . "

Cain then walked towards an open window .

" My little one , " he said to himself , " we will be together again ,as we were meant to

be . "

He then smiled rather evilly .

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Yayoi would leave the hospital in a day or two , which greatly pleased Shido and Riho . Of

course , they had not forgotten about Megumi 's baby , who was taken by Cain .

" I 've put this off for far too long , " Riho said .

" What do you mean ? "

" If we 're to recover Megumi 's baby , we must find Cain . "

Shido then said , " But that would mean . . . "

" Yes , I must face him . "

" Are you . . . are you sure ? "

After a pause , Riho then said , " I must ."

For a minute or so , Shido did not know what to say . But then he uttered , " There has

to be some clue to his location . "

Guni floated around during this conversation . She then said , " This is just a thought , but

the Nightbreed will no doubt want to get involved in this . "

" Your point ? " Shido asked , to which Guni replied , " If we were to follow any breed . . . "

" It seems like a long shot to me , " Riho said . Suddenly the phone rang , then , after Shido

picked it up , began to converse .

" Who is it ? " Riho asked .

" It 's the NOS . It seems they detected a large number of Nightbreed up north . " Riho then

asked , " Are you sure about this ? "

Shido simply nodded . The two vampires took in this news with some interest . If this

report was accurate , it could only mean Cain 's plan , whatever it was , was being carried

out .

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Riho was by herself when Guni flitted towards her .

" you got something on your mind , don 't you ? "

" I must face Cain , " Riho said , " perhaps I might kill him , or he might kill me , or we end up

killing each other . In any case , what right do I have to involve Shido in this ? "

" I don 't follow. "

" Yayoi was badly hurt . I don 't want the same thing to happen to Shido . Cain had already

slashed him and he would have died if . . . "

" If you didn 't make him a vampire ? " Guni asked . Riho was silent for a minute or two .

Unknown to the two , Shido was listening and he began to understand her concerns .

" Excuse me . . . "

" Hey ! " A rather agitated Guni exclaimed . " Were you listening in , pal ? "

" I couldn 't help it , " he told the imp . He then turned to Riho and said , " I realize you 're

concerned about me . I can 't blame you , after what happened to Yayoi . "

Shido then embraced the vampire girl . He then said , " I just want you to know . . . no matter

what happens , I 'll always be by your side . . . come what may . "

Riho did not know what to say . She realized that she did not want to lose Shido , for while

his own abilities as a vampire were growing stronger , even a little , she feared that they

would not be enough against Cain .

She then saw his face , surprisingly calm for a man who had barely lived a quarter of her

lifetime . She saw a determination in his eyes that she hardly expected .

" Are . . . are you sure you want to help me , in spite of the consequences ? "

" Nothing could keep me away , " Shido answered .

" That goes for me as well , " a familiar voice was heard . Riho and Shido were rather surprised

to see Yayoi standing by the door .

" The doctors released me a day early . "

The three of them were embracing each other while Guni watched with a mild joy .


	38. A Twisted Ceremony Disrupted

-  
This is chapter 38 . We're getting close to the finale now,folks ! I apologize for the delay . 

Let's chalk it up to , among other things , my trying to figure out what exactly to put

down ( Darn writer's block ! ) . Hopefully the final two chapters won't take as long .  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A TWISTED CEREMONY DISRUPTED

Cain stood as dozens of non human creatures began to assemble in the distance . Soon

the ceremony to release the nightbreed's power within the infant would begin .

" So , " Pandora asked of Cain , " when do we begin ? "

" When the full moon is high in the sky , " Cain replied , " which will be in a few hours . "

" I can hardly wait , " Pandora said .

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The NOS was already aware of the gathering of nightbreed .

" This is where they are , " Yayoi said as she pointed to a spot on a map that she held .

" I see , " Riho said . " We may have a problem here . " After a pause , she then said , " Are

you sure the NOS' weapons can deal with all these breeds ? "

" I don 't know , " Yayoi replied . " All we can do is hope for the best . "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Soon , child , " Cain said , " the Nightbreed within you will take over . Your half human

nature will enable you to blend with human society . Eventually you will seek to have brides

of your own . Afterwards there will be more like you . Breeds who can dwell in daytime . . .

. . . for this IS the Golden Dawn . . . a time when the Nightbreed will replace humans as the

dominant species . "

Pandora looked at Cain quizzically .

" But we vampires shall rule over these new breeds . "

Suddenly Cain saw several vehicles in the distance.

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"This is it , " an NOS agent said . "No turning back . "

Before long , there were shots fired as the assembled breed were scattered about , many

went after their attackers .

" We ' ll handle things here ! " One of the NOS agents exclaimed . " You do what you came

to do ! "

Riho , Yayoi and Shido understood , thus they made their way throughout the chaos

around them . In a matter of minutes , the threesome , with Guni fluttering around , reached

their goal . Sure enough , Pandora greeted them and , not far behind her was Cain himself

with Megumi 's baby whom he placed on a pedestal . Shido and Yayoi had their guns at the

ready .

" Cain ," Riho said quietly but sternly , " hand over that baby now . "

There was no reply .

" I won 't let you turn that child into a monster for your own gains . " Suddenly Pandora said

to the threesome , " Do you actually believe the three of you can stop this ? "

" Don 't you mean the four of us ? " An irritated Guni replied . She hated being ignored by the

likes of these two .

These six stood without moving , the stilness broken only by the infant 's cries and the battle

raging nearby . Suddenly Cain exclaimed , " I see you are determined to prevent this ceremony

no matter what ." He then turned his gaze at the baby on the pedestal . Then he said , " Then

I have no alternative . . . "

Suddenly , before Cain could do anything , a blood-red lash shot towards the baby . Within

seconds , Riho had managed to pull the child to her , much to both Cain and Pandora 's surprise .

" This child will never be yours , Cain , " Riho said .

" How disappointing , my beloved bride , " Cain replied ." You and I have much to discuss . I shall

await you at the clearing . " Then as he turned to leave , he said to Pandora , " You may deal with

these two and the imp as you see fit , Pandora ."

No sooner had Cain left than Riho handed over Megumi 's baby to Yayoi . " Please , Yayoi , " she

said , " take him to safety . Both of you , be careful ." Riho then gave Shido a tender kiss , which

made him somewhat flattered and at the same time concerned, especially after Riho said , " Especially

you , Shido . I don 't want to lose you . "

" How do you think I feel ? " Shido replied . " But just do what you 've got to do . Only . . .

please come back alive . "

" I 'll try , " Riho answered . She then stepped forward to a nearby clearing . Pandora watched as

Riho walked by her , then she turned her attention to Yayoi and Shido .

" Stay behind me , Yayoi , " Shido said .

Riho went in search of Cain , her intention to put an end to the misery he caused long ago .

One way or another , she realized , one of them would kill the other .


	39. Final Reckoning

-  
Hello,everybody ! This is Chapter 39 !  
-  
FINAL RECKONING 

It took Riho some time to catch up with Cain . She saw him several feet ahead of her .

" Cain ," she said under her breath as she stepped ahead . Cain for his part merely smiled

as he saw her walk toward him .

" My beloved , " he said .

" Stop it . How dare you claim to love me? "

There was a tense silence . Riho glared at Cain .

" All I ever was to you was a trophy and little more than that . I never asked for eternity ,

but you made me a vampire against my will ."

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Yayoi held Megumi's baby in her arms while Shido was by her side . They both

tried to make their way through the struggle between NOS agents and Nightbreed .

Meanwhile Guni watched from above as Pandora pursued the two of them .

" Hey you guys ! " She called out .Shido turned to see Pandora in hot pursuit ,

then,before the childlike vampire could do anything , Shido tackled her . He then

called out to Yayoi , " Get going , Yayoi ! Don 't worry about me ! "

Yayoi reluctantly did as he said . As soon as she was gone , Shido and Pandora faced

each other .

" I ' m surprised you would come to face me , " Pandora said , " you seem more human

than vampire . "

" I ' ll take that as a compliment , " Shido replied . Then Pandora said , " You realize

of course that no human weapon can harm me . "

Shido realized that the child-like vampire had a point .

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" Eternity , Cain , " Riho said , " was something you forced upon me against my will. All I

ever was to you was something you could claim like a prize . I was so tired of your

arrogance that I decided to leave you . But you had to seek me out , didn ' t you ? "

" You were and still are beautiful , my dear , " Cain replied , " As I told you when we first

met , I did not want your beauty to decay by the ravages of time . "

Riho still glared at Cain .

" Do not force me to strike you down , my beloved , " Cain said . Soon enough , Riho had

produced a blood sword . Then she said in a quiet yet stern tone , " One way or another,

Cain , I will be free of you . "

Cain then had a grim look on his face .

" A pity that you would seek to destroy me . I regret doing this , but you have made your

decision , my little one . "

He then produced a blood blade too . Riho drew a deep breath for a moment , then the

two vampires thrust at each other .

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" My dear fellow , " Pandora told Shido , " I hardly think you can stop me from attacking

your companion . "

" I can try , " he replied . Suddenly Pandora used her blood to produce a whip which she

used against Shido , who barely had time to evade it .

" I have lived for centuries , while you have merely existed for hardly more than twenty

or so years . You are hardly strong enough to stand against me . "

Shido was in a state of turmoil . His gun was useless against Pandora , but if he did not do

something , Yayoi would be in trouble along with Megumi ' s child . He then felt somethng

inside him , something he could not explain .

" Stand aside , " Pandora said , " or perish ! "

Then , as if by instinct , Shido bit into his finger releasing droplets of blood which he hurled

like daggers at Pandora , to her shock . No sooner had the child-like vampire been struck

down than she disappeared from sight . Several minutes passed without any sign . Guni

hovered towards Shido and said , " Shido ,did you do that ? " Shido ' s reply was ," Believe

it or not , I did . " He then turned to Yayoi and saw Pandora lunging towards her .

" Yayoi , get down ! " He called out as he produced a spear made from his blood , which

he threw at Pandora , pinning her down . The baby in Yayoi's arms began to cry out.

" Is he okay , Yayoi ? " Shido asked . Then Yayoi replied , " He seems to be . "

" Yayoi , do you think you can take him to safety ? " Shido asked.

Yayoi nodded in answer , then Shido ran off .

" Where ' s he going ? " Guni asked . Then Yayoi said , " I believe I know . "

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Riho and Cain had exchanged bloodsword thrusts for several minutes and neither one

gave nor recieved any quarter .

" Do not force me to eliminate you , my little one , " Cain said .

" I am not your little one , and I never will be . "

Again the two vampires exchanged sword blows . Soon enough , Cain leapt away as

Riho watched .

" Because of you , " she said , " I lost my parents . If you hadn ' t made me a vampire . . ."

" They would have died eventually and you with them , " Cain replied .

" At least we would have been together . When I decided to leave you because of your

arrogant ways you supressed my memories of my former life as a human . You spent all

these years seeking me to join you . I can assure you , that will never happen . Never! "

Once more she lunged towards Cain who parried her thrusts .Then Cain said , " I am

willing to give another chance to be with me as my bride , my lovely Riho . "

Riho just shook her head slowly as she glared at him . Cain looked disappointed as he

said , " You would force me to strike you down ? "

The two vampires resumed their struggle but soon were staring each other down .Then

just as Cain was getting ready to strike , a long red blade protruded from his chest , much

to his shock .Riho was rather surprised herself when she saw who was behind the blade .

" This . . . " Shido said as he drove the blade made from his own blood further , " is for

slashing me , you scumbag , and for all the misery you put her through long ago ! "

Riho saw her chance . No sooner had Shido gotten out of the way than she swung

her blood sword to slice Cain 's neck .Once his head was cut off , Cain began to dissolve

into dust .

Cain was no more . Riho and Shido could hardly believe their eyes as they watched what

was left of Cain as it was scattered by the wind .


	40. An End A Beginning

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Here it is,the final chapter of STRANGE PATHS ! Hope you like it.  
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AN END . . . A BEGINNING . . .

Cain was dead .

Turned to dust .

Riho and Shido could hardly believe their eyes .

" Are . . . are you all right , Riho ? " Shido asked .She then said ," For the first time in more

years than I can count , I feel as if a great weight has been taken off my shoulders . . . "

She turned to Shido and said " Please . . . hold me . . . "

Shido did so , understanding as well as he could what Riho had gone through and realizing how much

he had grown to love her .

About as much as she had grown to love him .

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Yayoi held Megumi ' s baby safe in her arms . Soon he would be reunited with his mother .

As for the gathered nightbreed , while most of them were eliminated , more than a few had

managed to escape . In any case , there was little more for the NOS to do . Guni , flying

around , was the first to see the two vampires arrive .

" So , " Yayoi said , "don't spare the details . I take it Cain is gone ? "

Riho nodded ." At last , he'll no longer plague anyone . "

"Yeah , " Guni stated , "guess that ' s it , huh ?"

" Let's not frget , we have a baby to return to his mother , " Shido replied . An hour or so later ,

Megumi was finally reunited with her son , whom she called Taki , after the man she loved . As the

quartet left Megumi's house , they were all glad to put the whole Golden Dawn affair behind them .

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Several nights later , Yayoi walked away from Shido's office with Guni on her shoulder .

" So , " Guni said , " I guess we leave those two alone for tonight , huh ? "

" That 's right , " Yayoi replied . " They both deserve a night to themselves . "

Guni ' s reply was , " I guess . "

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" Now that Cain no longer exists , I feel reborn ," Riho said with a mild and sweet

smile . " I have you to thank for that . "

Shido did not know how to answer that particular statement. At least , not for a minute or

two .

" Well , " he said ," it was the least I could do for everything you did for me . What now ? "

" There are still night breed lurking around , " Riho said , " but I suppose for tonight , we

might . . . "

"Take a break ? "

" If you want to put it that way , Shido . "

As the two vampires looked at each other , Shido wondered what to say next , until he

decided to say , " I . . . I was wondering if you 'd care to . . . well , dance ?"

" Dance ? " Riho asked .

" I could put some music on the radio if you like . "

" That would be fine , Shido ," she said with a smile . " I suppose I could change into an outfit

Yayoi brought for me . She left it in the next room ."

" She did ? " Shido asked , feeling more or less relaxed . " That's rather nice of her . "

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Several minutes had passed and Riho had emerged in a dress fit for dancing .

" You look nice , Riho . "

" Thank you . "

Shido then turned to the radio and managed to tune in a station that played the kind

of songs people tended to dance to . As the two vampires began to dance , they

stared at each other's eyes with deep affection . Soon the song they heard began to reflect

their feelings . As Shido leaned over a bit to kiss Riho , they could still hear the lyrics not only

in their ears but also in their hearts :

_Imploring the caressing breeze ,_

_I held your shoulders tightly ._

_To hear you say "I love you"_

_would have melted my heart ._

_You taught me to stop calculating the profits of love ,_

_to walk together side by side_

_with the one you love_

_braving this long road ahead_

As they kissed , Shido and Riho both realized more than ever that while nothing would

last forever, what they felt certainly seemed like it could .

END

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I hope you enjoyed reading this fic of mine . In case you're wondering , the lyrics

are from the translation of " Mirai Koro ", the ending theme of the series by

Lacryma Cristi.To those who reviewed and enjoyed reading this , thank you

for everything .  
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